The Dancin' Legend
by DawnForever101
Summary: Dawn always had a dream for dancing and showing her talent. When she meets Ash, known as The Dancin' Legend, she's prepared to show him what she's made of. A Pearlshipping story.
1. Chapter 1: The Dancin' Legend

**Oh, hey guys! Yes, this is another story- I couldn't resist and I've been thinking about publishing this story for a while now. It's the perfect time to do it because later I won't get time at all to publish it. And you know me-it's a pearlshipping story. Entire story's told in Dawn's POV.**

**K now enough blabbering, let's get it on with. I do not own Pokémon**

* * *

The crowd roared in excitement and applauded cheerfully over the performance I just did. I smiled with satisfaction as I did my final pose, with my two arms in the air. The stage lights beaming on me made me even sweatier. I had been dreaming about this for ages. I looked in the audience to see my own mother giving me a standing ovation. After the cheering subsided, I went backstage where I met May.

"Dawn, you were amazing!" She told me as she hugged me. "I know you're gonna win." She said enthusiastically.

I smirked as I looked towards _him_. He looked shaken up after my performance; but he still had that determination and arrogance in his eye. This is what I've wanted exactly. It was time to show him what I'm made of. He then diverted his eyes towards me and then quickly turned away, probably to avoid me. I was glad to wipe that smirk off his face.

"Let's now call on our contestants on the stage as we announce our winner." The MC announced.

I had been waiting for this day passionately. I held my head high to hear the winner as the MC took the paper out of the envelope in her hand. I was shaking and sweating a little. If I didn't win…then what was the point? I had to prove myself to _him_ and everyone else here. I looked to my right, where May was and gave me a thumbs up. I then looked to my left where _he _was and gave me a thumbs down while smirking. He was so sure of himself and I despised him more than ever.

"The winner of the Dance-Off 2014 is…" The MC began and then paused to keep us in suspense. I had worked too hard to lose now. I took a deep breath and held hands with May. My heart was beating out of my chest and I couldn't wait any longer.

Surely my determination and hard work were going to pay off. I wouldn't even be on this stage if I didn't want to prove myself. I can remember how I ended up like this from the start…

* * *

**Six Months Ago**

My mother dropped me off at my brand new school in Unova: Unova High. I never had that much of an interest in school; my only interests were in the extracurricular activities. My mom told me that these kinds of things never gain anything and that I should focus on m education. I agreed education was important, but it could drive you crazy at times. We would always have little arguments about this at home and she never understood my one true love-dancing.

Dancing was my passion and my dream. In fact, I've wanted to become a professional dancer since I was four. I even had my childhood videos when I used to dance in my birthday parties, which was a laugh because at that time, I didn't know how to dance. But then, I gradually got into it and ever since then I had become hooked.

My eyes were focused on the amazement of the school and in one glace, I was impressed-so impressed I didn't even know where I was going. I felt myself falling on the floor when someone bumped into me.

"Alright, who's the loser that bumped into me?" The voice said.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to, it was an accident." I said, defending myself.

"No one bumps into Ash Ketchum!" He proudly said. I stared at him. He didn't even offer to help me up. Before I could retort, he walked away.

"Oh, the nerves of that guy!" I said, grumbling to myself while finding my locker. A brunette was standing in front of me with her mouth wide open.

"Excuse me, you might wanna close your mouth. You could catch flies." I said.

"Did I just see you talking to The Legend?!" She asked. I cocked an eyebrow.

"The Legend? You mean Ash?" I asked.

"He's known as The Legend. He's the best dancer in this school. He's even won 5 times in a row." She said, fan-girling a little.

"Ok, I have no idea what you're talking about." I simply said, opening my locker.

"Oh, sorry. Well in this school, there's a number of clubs that you could enter and I'm in the dance club-so is Ash. Now the fun part is that at the end of dance club, a competition is held to see who's best! Ash has won 5 times. He's a role model for all future dancers." She explained and I got more interested.

"Dance club, eh? Well, that's interesting. Though, I couldn't imagine Ash being that good. From what I think, he's so full of himself." I said, taking out my books.

"Well, I don't know about that. But what I do know, is that he's such an awesome dancer! Nobody could beat him ever. He's not called The Legend for nothing, 'ya know!" She winked. I wanted to see how good this kid was. This could be my opportunity to show my mother how good of a dancer I am and prove myself to her.

"Hello?" She waved at me.

"Oh, sorry. Well, expect me at the dance club this evening." I told her.

"Really? You're gonna join?" She asked, looking shocked.

"Not only am I gonna join, but I'm gonna knock the socks of The Legend when I beat him at that competiton." I said.

"Wow-I've never seen anyone so determined to beat The Legend before. Good luck!" She said.

"Thanks." I said, smiling.

May was her name and she definitely fancied Ash. She was definitely sweet to talk to and we became pretty good friends. I then began to notice the posters on the walls. "The Legend" was literally on the walls and I couldn't believe how popular he became. I despised him-not because he's popular but because he's so full of himself. I needed to show him that I could prove myself to him and my mom.

After classes, which were pretty dull and boring, I finally signed up for dance club and then I walked into the class. I saw May over there and she directed me over to her direction. She greeted me to all her friends.

Zoey was a cute, redhead and her dancing style was hip-hop. I guess she was sort of this cool, sweet girl who always listened to music. There was also Kenny, who was short and kind of annoying to be around with since he teased people a lot. His dancing style was punk. Then there was Barry, who seemed to be loud, cranky, and careless at times, He always cracked funny jokes. His dancing style was-well, I don't really know.

Apparently, Ash had his own group of "cool kids." Drew was the ladies' man trying to get every girl's attention. He would constantly flick his hair to make girls fall for him or even wink his eyes at them, not to mention, show off his dance moves. Gary was quite similar to Drew, only except he was lazy and sort of annoying. And of course, it was led by the big head, Ash.

"Welcome to dance club, everyone. We hope you have a good start throughout this year-we'll always be doing different kinds of lessons each day you're here. And as you know, at the end, there will be a competition to decide who's best." The instructor explained.

"We all know who's best. It's me of course." Ash said, boasting again. I simply rolled my eyes.

"Well anything can happen this year, Ash. Now c'mon, everyone, let's start off today's lessons with some stretches." The instructor said. Everyone moaned in frustration.

"C'mon, get up! Get up, you lazy children. How will you guys survive if you don't keep up? Let's go!" The instructor said more enthusiastically.

The class then got up and we got up to the front of the class. We stretched our arms, legs, and even did some build up exercises to strengthen our muscles and bones. I didn't even realize that Ash was right next to me.

"Oh, you're that girl that bumped into me earlier." He said, trying to bring up small talk.

"And you're The Legend." I said.

"The Dancin' Legend is more appropriate." He said.

"Yeah? I bet you're not even that good of a dancer." I said.

"Please, you're just an amateur." He said with a smirk.

"I've been dancing since I was four. I'm the real talent here." I scoffed.

"Really? Did I mention I've never lost?" He said.

"Did I mention that I'm gonna be the future winner?" I shot back. He looked at me.

"Is that a challenge I hear?" He asked.

"Yeah, it is. I'm gonna show you what talent really is. You'll be impressed with me; trust me. You're just a phony out there." I said to him.

"How would you know? You're new here to me." He said.

"I've seen guys like you. They're all fake, like you and I can't stand it. So I'm gonna show you what I'm made of. Remember that." I said, confidently. He chuckled.

"Bring. It. On." He said.

* * *

**Ok, that's the first chapter everyone! What do you think? Is it lame or awesome? Should I continue? And I can handle four stories-it's not too much, right? Right?!**

**If I do continue, it'll be a while before the next chapter, but please tell me what you think by reviewing this. It really motivates me! :D**

**Bye guys..until next chapter. **


	2. Chapter 2: Detention

**Hi again! :D So, this will definitely be my last update for the week until a while. School is going to start again, and that's my final year of high school-which means it's gonna get tougher or challenging, more projects, exams, tests, etc. So I won't be on here often. If I do update, however, it just means that you're lucky and I really care about you guys!**

**So, enjoy this next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

I glared up to Ash, narrowing my eyes at him, until a girl came up to him, bringing her arms around his waist. She was a honey-blonde with light blue eyes and wore a black top with an orange skirt and covered her long legs with black boots. I heard rumours that Serena was Ash's girlfriend and I wouldn't believe it up until now. She giggled as she started to play with Ash's hair.

"What is it, babe? I'm kinda busy…" Ash complained. She then diverted her eyes towards me. I gave a nice smile.

"Is she bothering you, Ash?" She asked in a diva-like tone. He looked at me.

"Who, Dawn? No way. In fact, we've come up with an interesting proposition." Ash said to her. Serena narrowed her eyes.

"And what kind of proposition is this?" Serena asked.

"I'm going to win that competition at the end of the semester." I said proudly. She burst out laughing.

"You? Beat The Legend? Yeah, right!" Serena continued to laugh.

"It's the Dancin' Legend." Ash corrected.

"Hey, I'm helping you here." Serena said. "Anyways, what makes you think that you can beat Ash?" Serena asked.

"For one thing, I'm a much better dancer than him. And I've been dancing since I was 4-so that says a lot." I bragged.

"Ok, fine. But why don't we make this a little interesting?" Serena asked. Ash and I cocked an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"If Ash wins that competition…" Serena started.

"Then you'll admit what a great dancer I am in front of the whole school." Ash continued.

"Fine." I agreed. "But if I win, I become the Dancin' Legend and you'll admit that I'm a much better dancer in the whole school."

"We have a deal." Serena and Ash said in unison.

* * *

After dance class, I began to proceed home. Apparently, mom was waiting for me for at least an hour now because school ended at 3 in the afternoon on a regular basis, but time was taken up due to dance class. She would constantly lecture me on how I should focus on my education and not leisure activities. I was assured she would give me one today.

"Hello, dear. How was your first day?" My mom asked out of concern. I didn't wanna give too much details to her.

"Good. It was good." I simply told her before heading for the fridge.

"So, why are you so late?" I simply froze.

"Uhh..you know..it's a pretty long walk from school. I didn't even realize how time flies.." I lied.

"You joined dance class, didn't you?" I was impressed that she could read me like a book.

"Yeah. How did you know?" I asked.

"You're my daughter; I know you. And Dawn, I told you not to! You have to concentrate on your schoolwork. Does your education mean anything to you?" She started to explain.

"Yes, it does! But you don't understand! Dance is something that makes me feel alive and it's my one true passion. I couldn't resist, mom! I'm sorry." I said. I wish that she could just understand my opinion sometimes. I loved her to death, but it was these kinds of things that made me find her slightly annoying.

"Dawn, I don't want to talk about this anymore. You disobeyed me. Now go to your room." She told me.

"But, mom!" I whined. She just shushed me and pointed at my room. I silently went, dumping myself on the bed, drifting off to sleep.

Mom would never encourage me to set my dance career. Education was my priority to her and I agree completely. But dancing was my dream and I had to show her what I was capable of. These kinds of arguments were common in this house, but I decided that I was never going to give up on my dream. I'm going to show her that grades aren't the only thing that matters in life. I made up my mind- to prove myself to mom and to Ash.

* * *

The next day of school, mom dropped me off to school and she didn't say a word to me on the entire ride. She was really serious about this. Well, I'll show her that I'm serious too.

I met up with May again and she pointed towards the posters up on the walls and they caught my interest immediately, in the most horrific way. "The Dancin' Legend is challenged!"My eyes widened and I became disgusted to know that Ash was turning this to be public.

"Where's Ash, May?" I asked. As if reading my mind, I could hear his voice right behind me.

"Hey, Dawn. What you think of the posters?" He asked casually.

"You're turning this into a public thing? Why?" I asked and he chuckled.

"Look, you obviously don't know that I have to make everything public so that I can gain popularity. See, you are an amateur." He said arrogantly.

"Dawn, don't listen to him! You're a great dancer!" May supported me, at last.

"Please, she's all 'talk.' She says she's a better dancer than me, but for all we know, she could suck! We haven't seen her in action yet." Ash said.

"Fine! I can handle a little competition." I looked around to see the number of students walking by and there was a few minutes before the bell rang. "You wanna see me in action? Fine." I said before gathering everyone's attention. "Hey, everybody! We're having a little dance-off right here. Me and Ash. What do you think about that?"

All students cheered and applauded hearing that. I then looked at Ash, who smirked before giving me a thumbs-down. He straightened himself, fixed his jacket and made his way in the middle of the crowd, which kept on increasing every second. Ash's posse came up to support him, making weird sounds to cheer him on. The music played and he started with fluid moments by popping and locking with his arms. He moved his entire body with every rhythm of the music to form the beat. The crowd cheered loudly, with help of Drew and Gary. The music stopped when he just crossed his arms selfishly up in my face to show off.

"Your turn now." He smirked. My eyes narrowed.

"Is that all you got?" I asked.

But, unfortunately, before I could even perform a move, the crowd started to dispatch because of only one person.

"What is going on around here?!" The principal, Mr. Francis, yelled. He was not the most respected person around here and wore a grey suit to look formal. He was aging and was starting to lose hair. I stopped in my tracks and froze.

"Ahh, you two?" He asked, fixing his glasses.

"Umm..I can explain." I started.

"No need to. You have detention this evening." He said, before walking away. He then turned around to speak again, "This is a school, not a playground. You should have known better, especially you. You're a new student."

"I assure you it won't happen again." I promised.

"Yeah. She assures you it won't happen again." Ash said.

"Gee, thanks." I said sarcastically.

May walked up to me with a smile on her face. "Hey, sorry you couldn't perform." She said. I then stared at Ash.

"It's alright. But, I gotta admit, he is good. He's serious competition." I said.

"I told you!" May said. I smiled.

"But, I am going to defeat him. I just have to go through with detention today." I said, before realizing something. "Oh no, I'm going to detention alone! With him.."

"Are you kidding me? I'd love to be alone with him.." She squealed.

"Not exactly helping, May.." I said.

"Sorry! Well, I'll see you later then. Good luck!" May said before darting off.

"Yeah, I'll need it." I whispered to myself.

* * *

It wasn't the first time I had been in detention. I had gotten into trouble for countless things, like choosing not to do my homework, or talking in class, or even cheating on tests. I definitely wasn't considered studious. These are the reasons why my mom was so hard on me lately.

Detention was just considered a room where people were sitting endlessly, bored as hell, until the bell rang. I saw Ash over there at the front seat. He smirked again at me and I decided to sit on the very end of the seat at the back of the room, simply to avoid him. Truthfully, I couldn't bear his attitude and I always assumed he wanted attention from everybody.

Out of the blue, he just got up from his seat and walked up to me and sat down in the seat next to me. I looked the other way to avoid eye contact at him, but simultaneously was making me a little nervous. I cornered my eye to him to notice he was still staring at me. He finally broke the spell.

"Dawn, why do you hate me?" He asked.

"I just don't like guys who think so much about themselves." I answered, turning to him.

"But you gotta admit: I'm pretty awesome." He bragged.

"That's exactly why I don't like you. You're a big show off!"

"I show off because I'm good!" He retorted.

"NO…you show off, because you want attention!" I shot back.

"That too…" He admitted.

A moment of awkward silence passed by until I broke the spell again. "But, I have to say, that dance this morning, was somewhat impressive." I said softly, so he wouldn't hear me too much.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you." He said, bringing his hand to his ear.

"Your dance was impressive, ok?" I said louder. He chuckled and winked at me.

"See? I knew you'd come around." Ash said.

* * *

After detention, I headed home. I was not prepared for another lecture from mom. I was totally fed up with those, but I had to get her to start talking to me. My mom mattered the most, even in times like these. She can be a pain in the butt, but she's always there for me. Of course, she asked me why I ended up in detention, which resulted in another lecture. I decided to put my foot down.

"Mom, please! For once, would you listen to me?" I exclaimed. She stopped and raised her eyebrows.

"I mean..if you'd just listen to my opinion, then I'd be really grateful, mom." I said, in a nicer tone.

"Ok, I'll listen."

I took a deep breath. "Ok, mom. Look, I agree, that my education is important, but you have to understand that my dancing is equally important. If you take that away from me, then there's nothing I will have left. It's my dream and I wanna prove to you that I can do something with it." I said. She just stared at me.

"So this is really important, is it?" She asked.

"More than anything else, mom. " I said. She sighed.

"Ok." She smiled. I lit up.

"OMG! Thank you so much, mom, you're the best!" I hugged her.

"But, promise me that it won't be a distraction from your education." She pointed out.

"Ok, mom. I promise that I'll work extra hard, for dance and for my education." I said, assuring her. She quietly kissed my forehead and smiled.

* * *

**Ok, that's it for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Like I said, dunno when I'll update but it'll certainly be a while.**

**For the time being, please review and let me know your thoughts. It only takes a few minutes of your time.**


	3. Chapter 3: Get ready to dance!

**Wow its been long since I've updated this…I'm so sorry about that. I've been really busy with school and my other stories as well. Also, I may have forgotten about this story…hehe. But no worries, I'll try to update as regularly as I can. **

**So about this chapter, there's a song in here that you all might know about. So if you wanna see what it is, you're just gonna have to read it.**

**So, without further ado, here is the next chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon…or the song.**

* * *

"Dawn! Dawn! Dawn! Come quick!" Barry rushed over to me as he called me. He seemed a little sweaty and was panting from rushing.

"What is it, Barry?" I asked, curious. I waited for his response as he was still panting a little.

"Rehearse…dance….over…there.." Barry said, in between gasps. He was pointing to the dance class. I knew that I had made a promise to my mother and as tempting as dance was, I knew I had to fulfil my promise to my mom. I sighed.

"Sorry, Barry, but I'm gonna go take classes first, and then I'll see ya at dance class." I said. He looked at me and put his hands on his hips and then glared at me.

"Who are you and what have you done with Dawn?" He asked comically. He chuckled.

"Barry, I'm serious, I'll see you later." I winked at him before leaving to go to classes.

"Well I've never seen Dawn like this before…" Barry said to no one in particular.

* * *

As I managed to get to my first class of the day, I sat down only to be visited by May. She lit up a bright smile in front of me.

"Hey, how's it going?" May asked. I chuckled.

"Great! Meet you at dance class later?"

"Of course!" She winked at me.

Like I said before, I wasn't the best at school and even worse, I wasn't a genius at most subjects. To tell you the truth, I disliked school for a lot of reasons. School and I didn't go together; it was almost like we were two mixtures that weren't likely to mix together. I was allergic to school and most subjects in school. I hated math, science, English, -should I go on? The point was that if I needed to get my grades up, I was going to need desperate help, or a tutor to be more specific. I looked around the classroom…I wonder if there were any nerds available. To my very surprise, Zoey turned out to be the perfect person to help me.

"Zoey! Girl…how does it go?" I came up to her and said casually.

"Hey Dawn, what's up?" She smiled.

"Listen, I need a small favour from you." I said to which she listened keenly. "Look, I'm not the best at school and I promised my mom that I'd do better this year, so I was wondering of you could tutor me." I smiled. She thought about it for a few seconds.

"Oh, well…"

"Oh, please Zoey, please, I really need this. If I don't do better this year, my mom's gonna force me to come out of dance class, and you don't want that to happen, do you?" I asked, begging for her consent. She sighed, knowing she was defeated.

"Oh, alright!" She sighed. I lit up.

"Oh my gosh, thank you, Zoey!" I squealed.

"What subjects do you need help with?" Zoey asked.

"All of 'em." I winked. She chuckled.

"Alright, I'll be there at your place every day around 7-ish." She told me. I smiled.

"Sounds good to me. Thanks again, Zoey."

"No problem."

* * *

After classes, I went in my locker only to discover the most beautiful, graceful thing I had ever seen in my life. I gasped as I took it out. It was beautiful bouquet of flowers. Red, yellow, green colours amazed my eyes and fascinated me. I took a deep smell and sighed with content. There was a note on it and I opened it.

_From: Your secret admirer. Hope you liked the flowers. _

Secret admirer? I hadn't been here for a week and I had a secret admirer? Who could it be? I started to examine the handwriting more carefully to determine who it matches, but I couldn't match it as I had not seen anybody's handwriting as yet, apart from Zoey's. I wonder who it was…

"Oooh, flowers! Who's it from?" May asked. I gasped.

"May, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" I blurted, letting out a breath of relief.

"Hehe, sorry." May sheepishly laughed.

"I dunno. The sender's anonymous." I told her. She chuckled.

"Hmmm, a secret admirer, huh?" May asked, smirking. I widened my eyes.

"Yeah, I wonder who it could be?" I said.

"Maybe it's Ash?" She suggested.

"Please, that's impossible. Ash already has a girlfriend." I rolled my eyes. "And not everything is about Ash, ok?" I said.

"Alright, alright, see you at dance class." May said.

"See ya." I waved.

It was finally time for dance class and I couldn't be more eager to see everyone again. I looked around to see Zoey, May, Barry, Kenny and…Ash. He was with Serena and they seemed to be flirting with each other…as if I cared less. Then I saw Drew and Gary, who were arguing about something ridiculous that made them seem like the centre of attention.

"Alright, class, today is the day to showcase your dancing performances, so step up and show us what you've got." The instructor said and I gasped.

"What does she mean by that?" I asked May.

"Barry was trying to tell you, but you wouldn't listen. He told you to rehearse to get ready for your performance." She said. I was taken aback by her words and I sighed.

"The one time I don't listen to Barry." I said. I wondered what I was going to perform…

"And since we're going in alphabetical order, up first is Dawn Berlitz." The instructor said and I widened my eyes. I did not expect that I would go first. What was I gonna do? I wasn't the slightest bit ready for this and I didn't wanna make a complete fool of myself. I looked at May who was assuring me and then I glanced at Ash, who was smirking at me, as if he knew I couldn't do it. I growled and then I decided that I was going to do this no matter what it takes. I had the courage and determination. I went up to the front of the class.

I closed my eyes, and waited for the music to start.

_**Make it stop, **_

_**Sounds so good, I just can't take no more.**_

* * *

**And…finished. **** Sorry it was short, though. Can anyone guess the song? It's really easy lol.**

**Hopefully I won't take a month for the next update, although I can't promise anything. So pls review and tell me what you think. :D**

**See you next time. **


	4. Chapter 4: Performance

**Hey guys, I'm finally back! Sorry for not updating in the last…3 months? Yeah, I'm sooo sorry, but my life was pretty busy. :/ Anyways, I have another chapter for you guys here, and I just hope you like it. I haven't typed for some time now, so I hope this doesn't affect the story so far.**

**Oh and to Piplup 1212: Yes that is the song, congrats! I'm glad you're enjoying the story.**

**Enjoy! **

**(Insert Disclaimer here)**

* * *

_**Make it stop  
Sounds so good, I just can't take no more  
Turn it down, turn it up, I don't know  
I don't know (Know)**_

* * *

I started to move at every beat, every rhythm and I was in perfect sync so far, leaving a good impression. My waist and hips constantly danced around and I clapped according to the beat enjoying myself. My feet moved back and forth and my arms flailing with grace. I made a sudden pause.

* * *

_**But don't stop  
Don't move, just keep it there (Right there)  
Keep it right there (Oh)  
Keep it right there**_

**(I wanna) put you on repeat**  
**Play you everywhere I go**  
**Everywhere I go**  
**Play you everywhere I go**  
**Put you on repeat**  
**Play you everywhere I go**  
**Everywhere I go (Everywhere I go)**

* * *

As the music got more fun and intense, I was practically enjoying myself, as I carried myself with some occasional spins and turns and dancing to the beat. I spotted Ash for a second, and his face had the expression of impression. I smirked to myself.

* * *

_**Yeah  
Wanna put this song on replay  
I can listen to it all day  
I can listen to you all day  
Hear you all day**_

_**Yeah  
Wanna put this song on replay  
We can start all over again  
And again  
Yeah  
Wanna put this song on re**_

* * *

I paused for a moment and positioned myself to the ground, looking at it as if to give some suspense. As the music commenced again, I started to take of my short sleeve blouse, as if it were part of the show. I could hear some of them gasp as I threw it onto the floor, but with flair and glair.

* * *

_**Don't stop (Stop)  
Turn it on, turn it up, make it louder (Yeah)  
I don't wanna miss a single thing  
I wanna hear every melody (Yeah)  
Beating (Beating)  
Beating so loud you can  
Feel it (Feel it)(See it)  
Beating (Beating)(Beating)  
Beating for you**_

* * *

I pointed to one of the class members randomly with sass. Then I loosened my ponytail, so I could get prepared for the chorus so I could add more passion and intensity into the dance. I eyed for Ash and saw his mouth droop a little.

* * *

_**(I wanna) put you on repeat  
Play you everywhere I go  
Everywhere I go  
Play you everywhere I go  
Put you on repeat  
Play you everywhere I go  
Everywhere I go (Play you everywhere I go)**_

_**Yeah  
Wanna put this song on replay  
I can listen to it all day  
I can listen to you all day  
Hear you all day**_

_**Yeah  
Wanna put this song on replay  
We can start all over again and again  
Yeah  
When I put this song on re**_

* * *

I waved my hair all about to create an awesome, thrilling scene in front of everybody. I had become a little breathless, but that didn't lessen my spirit. I put my arms back and looked up at the ceiling, then my feet started tapping.

* * *

_**Give it off  
Feel it all crashing down (Down, down, down)  
I'm so lost  
I'm so lost in your sound**_

* * *

I put my hand to my heart and closed my eyes, humming to the music yet feeling every beat at the same time. The song was soon ending, I had to finish it off with a grand performance.

* * *

_**(Yeah) Yeah (When I) (Put this song)  
On replay (On replay)  
(Put this song)  
On replay (On replay)  
(List-listening)  
To you all day  
To you all day**_

* * *

I suddenly got on my knees and moved my arms to the beat and shaking my shoulders, while clapping. I was surprised to see everyone clapping as well to join in. I smiled as I finally left an impression. May was cheering as loudly as ever.

* * *

_**Yeah  
Wanna put this song on replay  
I can listen to it all day  
I can listen to you all day  
Hear you all day**_

_**Yeah,  
Wanna put this song on replay  
We can start all over again  
And again  
Yeah  
(Wanna put) put this song on replay!**_

_**Yeah (Yeah)**_

_**Yeah(Yeah)**_

* * *

The song finally came to an end as I finished it off by putting one arm in the air and one on my hip. Everyone cheered crazily for me, as if I had just performed at a concert. I smiled.

"Wow, Ms. Berlitz, I must say that was a fine performance. I haven't seen anyone this good as Ash, here. This is really impressive." The instructor said. "And this wasn't even a real performance."

I couldn't help but to blush, "Thank you so much."

I proceeded to pick up my blouse and go back to my seat when May stopped me.

"Hey, that was great! You're a really good dancer, Dawn. I'm so happy for you!" May squealed.

"Thanks a lot May! I had fun out there." I chuckled.

"Hey, Dawn." I turned around to see Kenny.

"Oh, hey Kenny!" I beamed.

"Really great out there, you know. You rocked! It's like you own the stage!" Kenny exclaimed.

"Heh, well I told you, I have skills and I'm going to get my position here and even if it means stealing it from someone, because honestly, that person never deserved it." I said, hinting towards Ash. I could see him from the corner of my eye. He was looking at me with intensity. I was looking forward to his opinion on my performance.

"Well, umm, Dawn I wanted to ask-" Kenny got interrupted.

"Not now, Kenny, Ash is coming. I'm pretty sure he's speechless after that awesome performance I just did." I said. I saw him coming towards me. He seemed to have a look of passion in his eyes. He stares at me for a while.

"Are you going to compliment me or are you just going to stand there?" I asked. He suddenly clicked. His eyes changed expression.

"Oh, sorry. Umm, that dance was…pleasing." I raised my eyebrows.

"Pleasing? That's all you have to say about my dance? Really?" I asked, a little shocked.

"Hey, you have to do a lot more than just shaking your body to impress me. Like I said, they don't call me 'The Dancin' Legend' for nothing." He boasted.

"I saw you! You were impressed, you're just denying it!" I yelled, a little furious.

"You can't just learn to accept the truth. That's the problem." He said, and then left, leaving me in awe. I gasped to myself.

"He didn't like my dance?! Unbelievable…the nerve of that jerk!"

* * *

"Can you believe he didn't like my dance?" I said, for the umpteenth time today to May.

"Let it go, you know Ash and his ego. Besides, why do you care?" May asked.

"I care because he's lying. His mouth was lying, but his eyes weren't. I saw him during the performance. Trust me, he was shocked. He's just denying it." I said to May, who sighed.

"Dawn, you know Ash is stubborn and his ego is the cause why he's never gonna reveal his true opinion on that performance." May said.

"Yeah, well ego or not, I'm so dedicated to get my true position. I'm going to show him that it's not about looks or style." I said, with a fire in my eye.

"Alright, you do that then. Well, I better get home then. Bye, Dawn." May said, grabbing her books from her locker.

"Bye, May." I smiled.

I took out my books from my locker and put them in my bag, and headed towards where Zoey was. She was going to tutor me tonight, as I made a promise to my mom and myself, that I would improve towards school.

"Zoey, before I go, I just wanted to remind you that you're coming over to my place to tutor me, right?" I asked. She smiled.

"Sure, Dawn. What time should I be there, again?"

"Around 6 or so.."

"Alright, no worries, I'll be there. Have everything ready." She said.

"Yeah, no problem. Bye, see you later!" I said, before heading the next way.

I started walking home from school, noticing the weather. The clouds were drifting by and it suddenly started to get ominous and grey. I had better hurry otherwise I would get drenched. I spoke too soon, as I felt a raindrop touch my head, followed by thousands of raindrops. Finding a secure area, I quickly ran to a shed. My hair had gotten a little wet, so I began drying it. My eyes turned to somewhere interesting. It was Ash and Serena, and they seemed to be talking. They were just a couple feet away from me, but they didn't seem to notice me. They were so intrigued talking about something important.

"What's wrong with you, Ash?" Serena asked.

"I don't understand you. You're supposed to be helping me." Ash said.

"You were impressed with Dawn's performance today. Why should I help you? Do you know what that could do to your reputation? Dawn might steal it from you. Everyone was impressed. You cannot let her know that you're impressed!" Serena explained, a little threateningly.

"I know, and I won't. If Dawn knows that I was impressed, then that means.."

"No, it will not happen! She will not take your position!" Serena yelled, knocking some sense into him. "And if you lose your position, then I will break up with you." She said, narrowing her eyes.

"What?" Ash said, a little shocked.

"You heard me, so you better not lose that position!"

"I won't. Trust me." He said, as he kissed her cheek. They held hands and then they left.

"Wow." I said, to no one in particular.

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I do not, with any circumstances, own the song! Please review **

**Also, I hope to update my other stories very soon, but updates still might be slow. I'll try my very best in updating as soon as possible, though! See you next time! **


	5. Chapter 5: Accident

My eyes widened in shock as I saw the couple hand in hand departing off. I could barely process what I saw. It seemed that Serena was only in a relationship with Ash just because of his esteemed position at school and so that she could gain popularity as well. I thought they were a real couple in love. I wonder if Ash was even aware of this.

Then again, should I care?

Shaking away my thoughts, I decided to walk back home. While walking, it hit me. Serena mentioned that Ash was impressed by my performance! Yes! I squealed to myself happily while skipping home with a cheerful grin on my face.

I knew it. I could be a possible threat to this 'Dancin' Legend' called Ash Ketchum. I was determined to show him off tomorrow.

I jiggled the door knob but found that it was locked. Weird, it's open most of the time. I tried calling my mother to open the door but no answer. I was starting to get suspicious. I sighed. _What am I going to do now?_ A smile etched upon my features as I recalled that mom always kept a spare key for the house in the plant just outside the front door. I smiled in victory as I reached behind the plant and carefully took out the key, then jiggled the door knob open.

I dumped my bag onto the small study table next to the leather sofas and went up to mom's room. I put my hands on my hips in confusion as I realized that my mom wasn't in here. I searched the bathroom, the kitchen, the veranda…I was going crazy. Mom would never do this suddenly. She wouldn't just disappear like that. And she certainly would have informed me before going somewhere. My eyes widened in shock. Did something tragic happen to her? No…no, it just couldn't.

I walked to the kitchen to grab a glass of water to cool my nerves down. As I placed my blue eyes on the fridge, I saw what looked like a note taped to the fridge. I took it out and read off of it.

_Hi sweetie! Sorry I didn't tell you before but my sister called me today and told me there was an emergency. I had to quickly go to her place all the way in Kanto. Don't worry, I'll be back in a week. There's some leftovers in the fridge. There's some extra money in the safe box for you to use and make sure to do all your homework. Be good, okay? Love you!_

_~Mom_

I opened my mouth in an 'o' of realisation. No wonder I couldn't find her. I hope everything's okay there. Should I call her and check? I grabbed my cell phone and dialled the number. No answer. She must be busy.

It had been a while since I was left alone but I was capable of handling it with full responsibility. Also, a week without mom telling me what to do!

"Awesome!" I screamed a little bit too loud and then covered my mouth.

After I ate some leftover pasta, took a nice long shower and watched a little television, it was already 6:30. So booooorinnngg. Ahh I wish something exciting would happen, just anything!

The doorbell rang and with a jolt, I jumped off my bed in my room and opened the door to reveal Zoey. I nearly gasped. I had forgotten all about Zoey coming over to tutor me.

"Hey Dawn." She greeted with a smile. Resting on her shoulder and back was her backpack with all her school supplies.

"Zoey! Thanks so much for coming!" I said as she entered my house and close the door.

"No problem," She smiled. "So…where do we start?" She asked as she eyed the house looking for a place to sit. I directed her to the dining table and placed all the books. My jaw dropped.

"Oh good heavens…you guys have all these books?" My eyes were wide as dinner plates. Zoey just chuckled a little.

"Yeah, don't worry though. They're worth it because once you use these textbooks, you're sure to pass the semester." Zoey said matter of factly. I nodded in agreement.

"Alright," She said as she started to bring out her notebooks and other school supplies out from her bag. "Which subject would you like to start with? I didn't really know which one so I brought all of them."

"I think Math is good to start with. I have absolutely no understanding in math. Math hates me!" I exclaimed.

"No silly, you just need practice with it. Okay so you remember what we're doing in math currently?" She asked and I looked dumbfounded.

"Uhh…word problems?" I managed to say with a sheepish expression.

"Algebra." She corrected.

"Meh." Yeah…I really need to pay more attention in class.

"Well let's start with algebra then." She suggested and I nodded. I grabbed some notebooks, pencils, erasers and pens from my own backpack and placed them on the table.

After the past hour or so of trying to understand the demeaning subtopic of algebra in Math, I realized that the problems weren't actually so difficult. Best of all, I really understood what Zoey had explained to me, much more than Ms Abigails, our Math teacher did.

"Okay just try one more problem." She suggested and I groaned.

"Oh come on! I've done over 50 of these problems now." I complained. I was exhausted.

"Nothing wrong with doing 51." She shrugged and I moaned.

"Fine," I sighed in defeat and began to work on the problem. After about five minutes I handed her the problem for her to look at. She smiled satisfactorily.

"Nice job, Dawn! It's correct!" She exclaimed.

I cheered in delight, "Oh yay! I'm finally good at Math! Thanks Zoey!" I got up and hugged her while she was still sitting.

"You're welcome." She smiled.

"Oh, it's 8 already." I pointed out while noticing the clock on the wall.

"Woah," Zoey exclaimed. "I had better get moving. My mom's making turkey and I don't wanna miss out on that."

"Wow," I exclaimed in delight, "I wish I was having turkey. My mom left for the week." I said with a saddened expression on my face.

"Oh…I was wondering where your mom was but I didn't wanna ask because I thought I would be intruding." She said as if a bulb lit up.

"No worries, you're not intruding. Anyways, thanks for coming." I smiled and helped her pack up.

"Yeah, see ya tomorrow Dawn." She said as we stepped by the doorway.

"Later." I winked and with that, I closed the door.

Now that I had completely understood the Math problems, I didn't hesitate to complete my homework in Math and worked on it for about an hour until my cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Dawn, are you okay?" It was my mom.

"Mom! Yeah, I'm fine, what about you?"

"I'm doing well, just taking care of your grandmother."

"What happened?" I asked with a worried expression.

"She's very sick and your aunt needed help in taking care of her. But anyways, what are you doing? Did you have lunch? Are you doing your homework?" She bombarded her daughter with a pile of questions. I rolled my eyes.

"Mom I'm just fine! Zoey came over to tutor me in Math and now surprisingly I'm actually doing my homework." I giggled a little.

"Well I'm glad my little bunny is finally changing." I groaned. I hated when she called me that.

"So why didn't you pick up my call earlier? I was worried." I asked.

"I had kept it for charging and didn't see or hear it ring because it was on vibrate." She replied and I nodded in understanding.

"Oh that's fine."

"Well it's getting late, dear. You better go to sleep." I glanced to the clock in my room and saw that it was late. It was almost 10.

"Yeah you're right, Mom. Ok I'll talk to you tomorrow, then. Bye mom, love you." I smiled.

"Love you too dear, don't forget to brush your teeth!" I heard her exclaim before I shut off the call. I rolled my eyes and slightly sighed.

There was no way that I was going to bed early. This was a perfect opportunity to do what I want. I dashed to the fridge and pulled out a chocolate bar then walked back into my room to just lie down and watch some TV.

"Seen that…boring…terrible…disgusting….ugh no way am I gonna see that…" I exclaimed while flipping channels. I never realized that TV could actually be boring. I glanced at the clock again. It was just 10:15. I tapped on my phone and decided to play a song. I began to catch to the rhythm of the music and started shaking my hips while standing on my bed. I spun my head crazily as the chorus went on.

This continued for about two hours until I was completely tired and the bed was a complete mess.

"Woah," I exclaimed as I saw the mess I had made. "Better clean that up." But as I reached for the sheets, my eyes drooped closed as I began to lie down on the bed and slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Maybe tomorrow." I mumbled.

* * *

The sun shone on my brightly as I yawned. I rubbed my eyes and slightly opened it and realized it was morning. I groaned. "Another day, another day of hell at school."

I glanced at the clock and gasped. It was 7:15. No! I quickly jumped out of bed, put on my slippers and dashed to the bathroom. I hurriedly brushed my teeth and took a quick shower. Fortunately, I had already decided what outfit I was going to wear-a nice sleeveless blouse and some blue jeans. Then I started to brush my hair and let it loose with a hairband. I glanced at the clock again.

It was 7:30 now and I was impressed. I only took a mere 15 minutes to get dressed. But I had to walk quickly, it usually takes me about half an hour or twenty minutes to walk to school. I decided to skip breakfast so I picked up my backpack, locked the house and headed out.

As I began walking I saw May up ahead. She waved at me and I walked towards her, "Hey May, how come you're here?" I asked.

"Zoey told me that your mom wasn't here so I figured you might need a partner." She smiled.

"Aww, that's so sweet. Thanks May!" I gave her a quick hug.

"Sure, now we just have to wait for the bus." She said and I raised an eyebrow.

"The bus? You take the bus?" I asked.

"Yeah, why?" She seemed curious.

"Well I usually walk to school." I shrugged.

"Dawn, you'll never reach in time if you walk there. If we take the bus we won't be late." She said and I nodded in agreement.

"I guess you're right."

Suddenly I saw a figure walking towards us. As the figure came closer to us, I realized who it was. But May made it more obvious.

"Ash!" May squealed. "Dawn, the Legend's coming over, how do I look?" She asked while quickly checking how she looked in her small mirror box. I sweat-dropped. I rolled my eyes. Ash Ketchum is walking towards us not Ashley Tisdale!

"Sup chicas?" He said ever so huskily and I rolled my eyes while May looked like she was about to faint.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Waiting for the bus, duh." He replied as if it were obvious. "I know what you're thinking. You're probably wondering why I, Ash Ketchum, is taking the bus to school instead of his awesome Mercedes." He smirked.

"Suuuree…" I said sarcastically.

"Yeah, what happened?" May seemed more interested than me.

"Well, it had a flat but don't worry I'll get it repaired. Just didn't wanna be late for school. Because education is important." He said as if he was trying to impress somebody. Seriously Ash, I don't care.

"Whatever." I shrugged.

"Oh that's terrible! You shouldn't have to ride the bus! The breeze will mess up your perfect hair!" She exclaimed. I ignored her and finally sighed in relief when the bus was approaching.

"Don't worry, Fay, I put in some hair gel." He said and I almost burst out laughing.

"It's _May."_ She corrected but she didn't really seem insulted.

"Right," He chuckled as he stepped in the bus. I followed in and saw that all the seats were empty. _Great, where am I gonna sit? _It seemed that May had found the last seat available.

"Dawn there's a seat right here," Ash smirked as he pointed to his lap. I rolled my eyes and pretended to vomit as I looked for any spare seats. Unfortunately, the bus moved with a jerk and I lost control and ended up falling on the lap of Ash Ketchum. I gasped while he smirked. Everyone else in the bus seemed to be looking where I was as well.

"So is it comfy?" He grinned mischievously.

"Asshole." I whispered under my breath and got up while I decided to just stand during the entire ride. I noticed everyone giving me death glares. Then everyone took out their cell phones as if to text. I wonder why.

The bus came to a stop and I got down from the bus when May caught up to me.

"OMG! I am so jealous!" May exclaimed.

"What? Why?" I asked in shock.

"Because you sat on the Legend's lap." She said as if it was the greatest thing ever.

"It was an accident, May." I pointed it out.

"Sure it was," She smirked.

"It was!" I exclaimed, "Besides, I don't like that guy you already know that." I stated and May nodded.

"I know, I was just kidding." May giggled as we entered the school building.

As I approached the hallways, everyone's phones seemed to be beeping and looking towards me giving me death glares again. I was starting to feel a bit awkward. Why was everybody looking at me like that? Then all of a sudden, I felt someone touch me on my shoulder. I turned around to see Serena with her phone in her palm.

"So…apparently you like sitting on guys laps huh?"

Oh shit…this was not good.

* * *

**Hello everyone! I'm finally back! I managed to type this in two weeks mainly because I have to borrow a computer now since my own is broken now…*sigh***

**But how was this chapter? Was it satisfying? I hope it was. Thank you for waiting for so long, you guys are the best!**

**Hopefully my other update won't take too long but I can't guarantee when it will be.**

**See you next time!**


	6. Chapter 6: Complications

Serena stared at me with a death glare and slightly narrowed her eyes at me. A huge crowd gathered among us and I could hear some chattering from the students. I could see May from the corner from my eye standing away from the crowd but with a worried expression on her face. I didn't know where Ash had vanished.

"Well?" I almost forgot that Serena was still giving me daggers, "Explain yourself." She said as she brought her hands on her hips waiting for a possible explanation.

I didn't really understand what the big deal was about. I accidentally sat on his lap; it's not as if I kissed him or anything. It wasn't intentional at all. I couldn't get why she was so upset. It evidently showed yesterday that she couldn't really care less about Ash anyway.

"There's nothing to explain about. I accidentally fell on him, that's it." I shrugged and ignored the loud gasps from the crowd.

"Accident my foot! Stay away from Ash." She warned while pointing a finger. I wasn't fazed even the slightest. Serena was no threat to me.

"Serena, I have nothing to do with your boyfriend. And if you don't believe me then that's your problem, not mine." I said and it looked like Serena got even more furious.

"Stop your lies! You've been having a secret crush on him since the day you came here and ever since you've been out to get h-"

I interrupted her by putting a palm in front of her face, "Hold on a second. First of all, if I ever had a thing for Ash Ketchum, I would have stolen him from you a _long_ time ago," Serena popped a vein, "And for your kind information there is nothing about him to steal from you." I said and the crowd gasped.

"Oh no she didn't!" A female blonde student exclaimed. I rolled my eyes.

"And I have another thing to add, Serena." I said as she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "Why do you care anyway?" I asked.

"Because I'm his girlfriend." She stated as if it were obvious.

"Oh really?" I raised an eyebrow, "Because from what I've seen girlfriends don't threaten their boyfriends!" I exclaimed.

Serena began to stammer a little, "Y-You don't know what you're talking about. I love Ash. Why would I threaten him?"

"Because you-" She interrupted me.

"See everybody? This girl," She pointed to me," wants to steal Ash from me and she's denying it. She wants to cover herself by making me look like the bad guy here." She said and I growled. This girl was good.

"I'm not lying! You are!" I retorted but she just responded with a smirk.

"Says the person who wants to steal my boyfriend."

"I told you before! There's nothing going on between us." I gritted my teeth.

"Just accept it, Dawn. Admit that you want my boyfriend." She practically commanded.

"I don't!" I screamed.

"Why you ungrateful little boyfriend stealing bitch!" She exclaimed as she tried to lunge at me but before she could I skipped past her and she ended up falling on the ground. She sneered. The crowd was going bonkers and was chanting the word "Fight" while I just shook my head and walked away from the crowd, not bothering to look at Serena.

"Hey! Come back here! I'm not finished with you!" I heard her exclaim as I walked to see the Principal. He had a stern look on his face.

"What's going on here?" He enquired.

"Nothing at all Sir, just walking to class." I replied nonchalantly while Serena walked up behind me.

"Sir, Dawn is-" I cut her off.

"What? What was I doing, Serena? I just came to school hoping for a normal day when all of a sudden this huge crowd gathered around me and you start threatening me for something I didn't do." I said and she gasped.

"Please, stop your ridiculous lies. She's the one who's trying to steal my boyfriend." She pointed to me and I turned around to face her.

"I've told you over a billion times, I'm not interested in your boyfriend!" I exclaimed as I rolled my eyes. "And for the record, Serena tried to attack me." I turned back to face the principal. He looked over at Serena and gave her a glare.

"Is that true?" He asked.

Serena hesitated, "Well yeah but-"

"Sorry Serena, we don't allow people to just attack each other at school. You're going to have to come with me to my office." He said and Serena sighed irritably.

I sighed a breath of relief as I watched Serena reluctantly walking besides the principal up to his office. I was glad that's over. I turned back to see the crowd still in formation as they continued to watch.

"Don't you guys have anything better to do?! Seriously, mind your own business!" I yelled and with that the crowd slowly started to dispatch as each student began to head to their respective classes.

May was still behind the crowd and I watched as she looked at me in shock. "What? I raised an eyebrow.

"That. Was. Epic!" She squealed and ran up to me to give me a hug.

I giggled, "You think?"

"Yeah, you really showed Serena her place. I mean, wow!" She exclaimed in shock and I giggled.

"I just told her the truth really. If she didn't wanna believe me then that's her problem." I shrugged.

Before we could chat more, the bell rang signalling the start of homeroom, "Come on let's get to class." May said as she grabbed my hand and walked with me.

"What are we having first period?" I asked and then she took out her timetable.

"English," She replied, "My favourite subject. Plus Drew, Barry, Ash, Zoey and Misty are with us too."

"Cool!" I exclaimed.

"Hey speaking of Ash…where is he? I didn't see him in school this morning." She turned towards me and I shrugged.

"Yeah, I don't know where he is which is really weird considering he came to school with us in the bus." It was really weird. I hadn't seen a sign of him ever since I had gotten off the bus.

"Aww…" May said with a saddened expression on her face. I rolled my eyes.

We were about to approach the classroom when May bumped into somebody which caused her to drop her textbooks she was holding in her hand.

"Oops, sorry!" She sheepishly said and reached down to pick up her textbooks.

"No need to be sorry, April." Drew said as he flipped his hair. Oh this was one of Ash's stupid and arrogant friends. Why did he call her April?

"My name is May not April," She sneered while she picked up her textbooks and he smirked.

"Okay fine I won't call you April." He said with a grin on his face.

"Thank you!" She smiled satisfactorily.

"Let's go to class December," He winked as he walked into class.

"Aughh!" May exclaimed as her jaw dropped, "Jerk." She mumbled. I giggled lightly behind her as we walked into class.

As I sat down in my seat and the teacher started writing some notes on the board, I began feeling drowsy in. It probably was because I slept late yesterday night…but it was so worth it. I wonder what I'm going to do tonight. Hmm, maybe I should invite May over.

"Dawn!"

"Huh? What?" I suddenly lifted my head from my desk to the voice. Was I sleeping the entire while?

"If my class is so boring then don't bother coming to my class," She gave me a glare. I could tell that she was not happy.

"Sorry, Ms. Jenson, I was just feeling a bit lightheaded so I decided to take a little rest but I'm good now." I hope that was enough to convince her.

"Hm," She simply said and continued back to her lecture.

After a forty minutes of trying to stay awake during her dull lecture, I packed my bag and headed out where I saw Zoey. She smiled and approached me.

"Hey Dawn, I was wondering if you wanted me to tutor you tonight." Zoey enquired and I just shrugged. "Because I can't today."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because I have Dance club today plus I'm also tutoring a bunch of other students as well not to mention the English project we just got assigned.." Zoey said. She sounded exasperated.

My eyes blinked, "We have an English project?!" I exclaimed as I widened my eyes. Zoey chuckled.

"Wow, you really need to pay attention more." She said and I nodded.

"Clearly. Anyways, can you text me the details for that? Here's my number." I said as I handed her my number on a piece of paper.

"Sure," She smiled as she got hold of it, "I'll do it when I get home this afternoon. And sorry I can't make it today."

"Thanks," I cheered, "And no problem, there's always next time." I smiled.

We bid goodbye and then I went off to my other respective classes until it was finally time for Dance Club, the highlight of my day. This was the only reason why I got up this morning to actually go to school. It surprised me that as I entered, I saw Ash sitting back leaning against his chair. He must have skipped classes.

"Ok class," The instructor began, "Today we will be an announcement of a dance project that's due in two weeks. You will work with a partner and be assigned a type of dance to work on. On the day, the pair will demonstrate their performances and I will decide which pair is best and give that pair a special prize." The class seemed enthusiastic about this and so was I, surprisingly.

Kenny, who was sitting next to me, turned to me and asked, "Hey Dawn, you wanna be my partner?"

"That's sweet but I was thinking to partner with May," I said as I looked back at her.

"Oh yay!" She exclaimed in delight.

"Oh." He said with a saddened expression on his face as he looked down. I found May giggling behind me. I wonder why..

"Oh did I forget to mention that I will assign your partner?" The instructor suddenly exclaimed and I groaned. I might not be partnered with May although there might be a chance…a small chance. She and I get along so well. Although it might not be so bad. I could end up being partners with Zoey. She's really friendly and great to talk to. Or even Misty although we never really talked much but it could be a way of getting to know each other.

I just hope that I wasn't going to be paired up with Gary, Drew…or worse, Ash. That would make it horrible.

The instructor started selecting random people and paired them up with each other. Kenny was paired up with Zoey, Misty was paired up with Gary and May was paired up with Drew, much to May and my dismay.

"Dawn," I lifted my head up to listen keenly, "Your partner is…" She hesitated as she looked around the class.

_Please don't be Ash, please don't be Ash, please don't-_

"Ash."

My jaw dropped. Ash looked to me and smirked.

"No!" I practically retorted as I got up from my seat. The instructor looked at me weirdly. "Can't you assign me another partner? I don't wanna work with him."

"Hurtful," Ash said and I rolled my eyes.

"Why, Dawn?" She asked.

"Uhh…" I hesitated to find an appropriate response, "I think that we don't really…match." I stammered a bit.

"Yeah I object to this!" I suddenly heard Kenny protest as he got up from his seat. Well, this is odd.

"What's wrong with working with me?" Ash asked as he got up from his seat facing me.

"Everything!" I shot back.

"Come on you should be thankful that you're being paired with someone as awesome as me." He boasted and I refused the urge to sigh.

"Ash and Dawn shouldn't work together!" Kenny protested once again.

"Guys, calm down," The instructor said as she put her two palms in front of the students in a calming manner. "Look, I assigned Dawn and Ash together because I feel a strong bond between the two of them. Your performances will be very strong together. And I am the instructor so I'm sorry but you have no choice."

I sighed. Worst day ever.

After she finished assigning partners, she had to assign the type of dance we had to perform. Ash and I got Salsa. I didn't really bother to hear what type of dance the others got since I was still bummed out that I was being paired up with Ash. I can't even imagine how Serena would react if she hears about this.

Speaking of which, I haven't seen or heard about Serena ever since this morning.

After Dance Club, I headed towards May while she was packing her bag, "Hey May are you doing anything tonight?" I asked.

"Hmm," She thought, "No not really. Why?" She asked.

"Well you can come over to my house just to hang out. Won't that be fun?" I suggested and she lit up.

"Sounds awesome! I'd love to come over." She smiled.

"Thanks. Now that my mom's not here maybe we can hang out every day for this week." I suggested.

"Sounds cool but I can't come over all the time. I have to take care of my stupid younger brother Max." She rolled her eyes at the mention of her brother.

"Wow that must suck." I said. "Is he annoying?"

"He's not annoying. More like a giant prick in my back." She rolled her eyes again and I giggled.

"That's one of the perks of being an only child." I bragged.

"Yeah you're lucky," She nodded in agreement, "And more lucky to be paired up with Ash." She smirked.

"Ugh," I groaned, "That's not lucky, that's a nightmare!" I exclaimed while May giggled.

"Lucky is what you are to be paired up with Drew…" I smirked and May groaned.

"No way! That's a nightmare!" She exclaimed before realizing something, "Hey you know who was acting totally weird in dance before?"

"Who?" I asked curious to know.

"Kenny!" She blurted out, "I mean, first he asks you to be his partner and then he defends you in class. Isn't that kind of weird?" She asked.

"Yeah, it is weird." I nodded in agreement.

May suddenly clicked, "He must like you, Dawn!"

I looked at her as if she had gone insane, "What? I don't think so."

"Of course! It makes sense! Think about it. Actually now that I think about it, the flowers you got yesterday must be from him." She said and I looked at her suddenly realizing that she might be correct. It all did make sense.

"Wow," I managed to utter.

"Yeah…do you like him too?" She asked.

"No way! I mean Kenny is nice and all but I could never picture us together." I said as subtle as possible.

"Yeah you're right, Ash is more your type." May whispered something I couldn't hear.

"What'd you say?"

"Oh nothing, anyways I'll meet you later okay? Bye." She quickly hugged me and ran off. I smiled as I shook my head slowly. May was no doubt an interesting girl and I was glad that she was my friend.

I started to walk back home while looking at my phone. I had just received the details for the English project from Zoey. I was just about to read the text when I felt someone bump into me, allowing me to lose my balance and felt myself falling on the ground with a body on top of me.

"Ugh watch where you're go-" I stopped when I saw Ash staring down at me. I could feel his eyes practically burning on mine. I shifted a little and pushed him off me.

"As if my day wasn't bad enough," I grumbled loudly as I got up and dusted myself off.

"Pshh, any girl would be enjoying me on top of them." He smirked as he looked at me and I shuddered a bit.

"Do you have any idea how perverted that sounds?" I asked as I screwed up my nose in disgust, "Besides, I'm not any girl."

"Oh, I agree," He added as he looked at me again. Something about him looking at me in that manner was not right.

"How come you bumped into me anyway?" I asked in an irritated tone.

"Well I was trying to catch up with you to talk to you about the dance project but on the way I tripped on a rock and, well, lost my balance and fell on you." He sheepishly laughed while scratching his auburn hair. I raised an eyebrow.

"Well, be more careful!" I exclaimed.

"Of course my supreme overlord." He said as he bowed to me lightly and I just rolled my eyes and continued to walk past him.

"Hey," He grabbed my arm, "Where are you going?" He asked. I eyed my arm. He noticed this and instantly let go.

"Home, where else?" I said as if it were obvious.

"Well do you want to work on the project tonight?"

"Sorry, not tonight. It'll have to be tomorrow." I strictly told him and he looked fazed a little.

"Why not tonight?"

"Because I have plans." I said.

"What kind of plans?" He asked.

"I don't think that's any of your business," I said with a fierce expression in my eye. Ash was taken back a little.

"Sorry, it's just that I was really hoping to work with you today." His eyes suddenly changed expression as if it was showing a hint of mercy in those chocolate brown eyes. I refused to give in.

"Hey by the way have you seen Serena? I haven't seen her at all and she's not answering my calls." He enquired.

"Oh so you haven't heard the news!" I exclaimed and Ash raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, your girlfriend, "I pointed to him, "was accusing me of trying to steal you away from her because everybody in the bus decided to spread the information that I accidentally sat on your lap." I explained in disgust.

"It may be an accident but you still liked it." He smirked. I rolled my eyes.

"Anyways so Serena tried to attack me and she got busted. I'm guessing she went home or something." I continued and he nodded.

I suddenly clicked and pointed a finger at him, "You better explain that all this was an accident. I already have enough problems in my life." I glared and he was stoic until he smirked again.

"And what if I don't?" He stepped a little closer trying to intimidate me. I stepped back a little as my eyes widened a little.

"You act as if…you don't care about her." He was hesitant to reply.

"You could say that." He shrugged.

I knew it. I knew it in my heart that Ash and Serena weren't in a true and loving relationship. I somewhat surprisingly felt sorry for him because he ended up with a self-obsessed girl who only cares about herself. But the real question was…

Why are they even together?

"Why are you even with her in the first place?" I asked. I could feel a clod breeze playing with my blue locks as Ash turned around and faced the sky.

"I-I can't answer that." He said with a dull expression as he looked down.

My heart felt weary all of a sudden, "Ash.."

"I gotta go home. See you tomorrow, Dawn." He simply said before walking away from me without looking back.

Ash Ketchum was a really complicated guy. At one point he could be perverted and arrogant while on the next hand he could have a somewhat sweet nature. The only mystery here was his relationship with Serena. I couldn't understand why but my heart felt weary for him. It actually made me want to assist him in some sort of way and to understand what he might be going through. I shook away my thoughts for the meantime and headed home, looking forward to the rest of the day.

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**Woohooo! No cliffhanger plus it's sort (?) of long. Right?**

**Yeah well, this was an extremely fast and lucky update because I realized that the readers deserved something more than that short chapter the other day. **

**Heads up for the next chapter: Dawn will have a weird dream and May comes over to Dawn's place. What do you think the dream will be about? Thoughts in reviews please :D**

**Thank you for reading and review pretty please with sugar on top!**

**See you all next time!**


	7. Chapter 7: Dreaming

**Hey guys. **** I'm back! Here's another update for all my wonderful readers out there! Hope you enjoy.**

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I lied down on my bed and began to remove all thoughts. The cold breeze blowing from the window left a cooling and relaxed effect on me. My eyes slowly drooped closed as I began to drift off in a deep slumber.

I shifted in another position when I heard the doorbell ring. I groaned. _Who could that be?_ I thought to myself as I lazily and slowly got off from my bed, rubbed my eyes and opened the door. I widened my eyes.

"What are you doing here, Ash?" I asked as I saw him leaning casually against the wall and slightly smirking.

"Hey hot stuff," He flirted and I raised an eyebrow, "Something tells me you just got out of bed." He said and I gasped when I looked at my hair, which was a frizzy mess. "Don't worry, we can go back to bed together." He winked.

I rolled my eyes, "Oh grow up."

He laughed as he entered inside. Something was weird about that laugh. It sent down a sudden chill to my spine. I figured it was nothing and shrugged it off.

"Again, what are you doing here? You disrupted my nap!" I complained as I crossed my arms.

"We're gonna practice for our dance show remember?" He said, trying to bring back a memory.

"I told you I have plans." I protested but he pulled out a stunning red tomato dress with sparkles seemingly out of nowhere. I started at it in awe.

"I got this for you. And I really wanna practice today, it's the only day where I'll get time." He said but I just continued to stare at the dress. It was a really short dress just ending midway above the thigs and the straps were really thin. I didn't say anything and then looked at Ash's face. He slowly smiled which surprisingly drew me towards him. I took the dress from his hands and found myself changing in the bathroom.

Half of me was saying 'What are you doing?' and the other half said 'Just roll with it'. It was as if I couldn't control what was happening. I didn't know why I was changing into such a revealing dress to be later showed to one of the most perverted and stuck up guy in my school…but I liked it.

After changing, I strangely didn't feel self-conscious as usual. I had the confidence to present myself in this dress…which was weird. I slowly walked outside to find Ash changed as well into a black tuxedo on. His auburn hair was now combed slightly and he had on nice black shoes. When did he change? He looked at me from head to toe, keeping a boring expression until he walked forward to me and presented his hand to me. I glanced at it and then to him. His face was flawless and I felt as if I was trapped by some sort of magical trance that made me accept.

Foreign Spanish music began to play and I found myself dancing to the tune, shaking my hips, as if I had already knew the moves. Ash was dancing beside me and then he grabbed my hand and twirled me around a few times before he grabbed my waist and dipped me flawlessly. I was slowly beginning to enjoy this. He then grabbed my hand again and he lifted me off my feet as he slowly spun me around him. We then began to dance normally until all of a sudden, romantic music started playing.

He looked at me with his chocolate mesmerizing brown eyes and I did the same. My heart started to beat as we came closer. He then snaked his arms around my waist and I put my arms around him, looking into his eyes again. He twirled me around a few times and we regained our former position for the slow dance. The lights suddenly started to fade and I found him snaking my waist and his chin resting on my shoulder. I closed my eyes.

He kissed me on my neck and I gasped and turned around. He pulled me closer and caressed my cheeks. We started to lean closer, noses touching until we kissed each other passionately. I brought around my arms around his neck to deepen it. I yelped a little when he pushed me against the wall and kissed me harder.

_Ding-Dong!_

I heard a sound but continued to ignore it as I continued enjoying the kiss.

_Ding-Dong!_

Ash began to stroke my hair as he grabbed my thighs, allowing me to enclose my thighs around his lower back and continued the kiss.

_Ding-Dong, Ding Dong, Ding Dong!_

"Ahhhhhhhhh!"

I stared around me and noticed my surroundings. I was still in my room. Wait, this was all a dream? I covered my mouth as I started to shed tears a little. I couldn't believe I had dreamt something as awful as making out with Ash. It didn't make sense at all. I don't like him or have any feelings for him so this made no sense at all.

_Ding-Dong!_

I looked towards another direction and sprang outside to open the door but stopped myself in the process. What if it was Ash? If he found out that I had a dream about him, that would be the end!

"Dawn, where are you? Open the door!" I heard May yell as she pounded on the door. I sighed a huge breath of relief and opened the door for May to come inside.

"Finally, I've been ringing the doorbell for sooo lo-hey what's wrong, Dawn? You look like you've seen a ghost." She said with a worried expression.

"Seeing a ghost would've been better than what I just experienced." I said with fear.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I had a bad dream and-" I started to explain everything what happened in my dream.

"Whoa," She uttered, "That's weird."

I nodded, "Really weird. And I don't even like him!"

"Well, a dream is a dream. They don't mean anything. It was just a dream, Dawn." She said, trying to calm me down.

I sighed, "Yeah I hope you're right. It was just a dream, nothing else." I slowly recomposed myself.

"Yeah. Anyways, so what do you wanna do?" She asked as she sat down on the sofa. I grabbed her arm and lifted her off the sofa.

"We're going to the mall and movies, that's what we're doing." I stated and she smiled.

"Awesome! I haven't seen a movie in a while now. But," She exclaimed as she looked at what she was wearing, "I don't have proper clothes on."

"Don't worry," I winked, "there's a closet that's waiting for you to put on clothes!" I giggled and she giggled in response.

After changing, we headed out. May was dressed in a beautiful summer red dress that went up to her knees. She had her hair let loose and was wearing a hairband. I was wearing a sleeveless pink blouse with a blue jeans skirt that also ended below the knees.

"So we're just gonna walk there? The mall's pretty far away." She exclaimed and I rolled my eyes.

"Of course not! We're gonna catch a taxi." I told her.

"Oh well that makes better sense." She nodded.

I tried yelling out for a taxi every time a cab would pass by but unfortunately no taxi would stop by us. May also did the same but to no avail. We sighed.

"What do we do now?" She asked and I also began to think.

My thoughts were interrupted as a black Mercedes suddenly stopped in front of us. The window rolled down to reveal…Ash. May squealed, "Ash!" I sighed irritably but at the same time I had a worried expression on my face. I couldn't let Ash get the slightest clue that I had a dream about him.

"Dawn, Ash-the Dancing Legend, he's here! How do I look?" She asked in between hyperventilating and I rolled my eyes.

"May I told you before, you look amazing. And again, this is Ash not Justin Beiber!" I exclaimed but she continued squealing.

"Sup chicas? Going somewhere?" He asked in a husky voice.

"Yeah but that's of no concern to you." I stated with no mercy. May gasped dramatically.

"Why yes we are, don't worry about Dawn. She's just in a bad mood. We're going to the mall and movies." She smiled while fluttering her eyelashes.

"Ah, so you want me to drive you chicas there? The mall's pretty far from here." He said, looking mainly at me.

"We don't need you to-"

"Of course we would! That would be so awesome!" May squealed, interrupting me. She was practically bouncing up and down like a 5 year old. I tried to explain to her that I didn't want to catch a ride with Ash because it would cause problems considering I just had a strange dream about him but she was just blinded by…whatever she saw in Ash.

I still protested, "We're fine. We'll catch a taxi." Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Dawn!" May exclaimed, "We've been trying to catch a taxi for the past ten minutes. I think this is the only option!"

"You just wanna ride in his Mercedes!" I said.

"Well duh but come one Dawn! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!" She said, flailing her arms.

"Yeah, it's not every day that Ash Ketchum would just happily oblige in giving a ride to somewhere you want." He smirked while opening the car door in front. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

Seeing as I had no other choice, I reluctantly walked to the back of the car, opened the door and sat down with May beside me. Ash closed the front door and started to drive. The ride remained silent throughout except for the occasional moments when May would silently squeal to me about riding in Ash's Mercedes, which was getting aggravating. Also at some points I caught Ash randomly staring at me in the front view mirror and I was starting to feel really uncomfortable.

Soon enough, we approached the mall and May and I got down from the car and started to walk when we were stopped suddenly by Ash speaking, "So you guys want me to drop you home too?" He asked.

May was about to reply when I started pushing her, grabbed her two arms and closed her mouth shut, "No thanks, we've had enough of your services, thank you very much." I could see Ash just raise an eyebrow as we started to get farther away from him and into the mall. I turned back to see the black Mercedes speeding off and I then let go of May's mouth.

"What the hell were you doing?!" May exclaimed angrily.

"Look May, you should understand that I don't wanna see Ash because of that dream I had earlier, you know I don't like him. Please understand. I already have to see him practically every day now."

She sighed and nodded in understandment, "Yeah…you're right, I'm sorry. I guess I was acting a bit ridiculous." She sheepishly smiled.

I smiled, "Thanks. So where off to now?" I thought out loud.

May pointed somewhere that looked like the teens section, "Let's go over there! I saw a cute blue dress the other day and I am so going to have that." I giggled and followed her.

For the past half hour, we began trying on different outfits such as dresses, skirts, skinny jeans, tops and accessories. Then my eyes struck on this beautiful blue top. It was a sleeveless baby blue blouse and it ended below the belly button. It had the words 'Be Mine' imprinted in gold. I left May's side for a while and headed to where the rack was. I reached out to grab the top when I felt it being pulled against me. I looked to the opposite side and widened my eyes to see a familiar face.

"Excuse me this is mine. I saw it first." Serena said to me while glaring daggers to me.

"Oh yeah? I don't see your name on this so it's not yours." I retorted and she tugged the top towards her but I refused to let go.

"Ughh! Well I didn't see your name on my boyfriend but you still stole him from me." She said irritably and I sighed.

"Will you just shut up?! I told you over a billion times! I don't have any interest in your boyfriend!" I exclaimed. I was starting to get extremely annoyed and confused with this girl.

"Shut up you bitch and give me my top!"

"No way!"

We continued tugging at the top back and forth when we noticed a ripping sound being heard and saw the blouse tear in half, leaving us both appalled and saddened.

"Look at what you did!" She pointed to me with a blue cloth in her hand.

"Me? Look at what you did!" I retorted giving her the same reaction.

A sales clerk noticed this and headed towards us, "I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to pay for this."

"Yeah! Take out your purse!" Serena pointed towards me and I gave her a glare.

"She was talking to you." I said as I rolled my eyes.

"I'm talking to both of you." The sales clerk said and we gasped.

After arguing for over 5 minutes, we ended paying the full price of fifty dollars for that top. Unfortunately that top was the last one left in stock so I was not able to get another one. Serena sneered at me and went out of the mall while I just rolled my eyes. I began to walk back and noticed May talking to Drew. I smirked to myself. May noticed me and quickly hurried over to my direction with a bunch of shopping bags.

"Well, well, well, I see you've been busy…other than shopping." I could see May blush lightly.

"Nah, just that Drew saw me and well, he was being all perverted and told me I look really tempting in this dress." She sheepishly smiled.

"You do look great. After all it's my choice." I winked and May rolled her eyes. "By the way, where did you go?"

"Ughh, don't even get me started. I saw this baby blue top that I wanted but I met Serena unfortunately and she wanted the same top. Anyways we started fighting over it and we ended up ripping the top and so we had to pay for it." I sighed irritably at the memory.

"Oh man that sucks! Did you get another one?" She asked.

I shook my head, "No, there were none left in stock. It was the last one." I sighed.

"Awww…I'm sorry." She apologized.

"Not to worry, I have plenty of clothes anyways." I smiled.

May then looked at the time in her phone, "Hey let's go see a movie now." She suggested.

"Okay, let's go." I said and then we headed for the elevator. We had a minute discussion of which movie we planned to see in the elevator and decided to see a chick flick movie. When the doors opened, we walked outside and first decided to buy some popcorn. May was buying the drinks and snacks while I was waiting a bit further away.

"Dawn!"

I turned around to look at the source of the voice. My eyes lit up.

"Hey Kenny." I smiled as he approached me.

"What's up?" He asked.

"May and I are gonna see a movie." I said.

"Cool, I'm gonna see 'Fast and Furious 7'." He said with a grin on his face.

"Awesome!" I exclaimed.

There was an awkward silence for a while and I could see Kenny staring at me slightly.

"Dawn?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?" He asked as he came a bit closer to me.

"Sure.."

"Well…I was wondering..if maybe..uhhh…" He hesitated.

"Yes?"

"Dawn, will you go out with me?"

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**Ok..I admit. This chapter is not my best at all. I think it's the worst chapter I've ever written. I think it's my writer's block speaking…what are your thoughts everybody? **

**Anyways, thank you for reading and please review! The next update will be better and hopefully sooner.**

**See you next time!**


	8. Chapter 8: Will you go out with me?

**Hello everyone, I'm back. I had planned to update a long time ago but things (schoolwork) got in the way…again. -_-**

**Anyways before I go on and complain that school is a **** let's start the next chapter!**

**Enjoy! :D**

* * *

"Dawn?" He said, prying into my eyes hoping for an answer.

I just looked at him, eyed widened. I didn't know what to say or how to react. All I could say was that I was shocked. Although I shouldn't be because I was already aware of Kenny's feelings for me.

Noticing that I didn't have an answer yet, he continued, "Dawn, I really like you. I know you probably don't like me either but just give me a chance. I'll be the best boyfriend you ever had. Just go out with me." His eyes pierced into mines with a hint of mercy.

"Kenny…I-I don't know." I stammered. Kenny sighed.

"At least you can think about it. Please?" He begged again.

I sighed, "I guess I can do that. I'll let you know about my answer tomorrow." I said as I smiled.

"Really?" He exclaimed, "Wow thanks, Dawn! You won't regret this." Kenny smiled as he quickly hugged me and quickly let go, running off to the other direction.

"Wow," I muttered. I was just taken aback a little.

Suddenly May came up to me with various snacks and drinks with her. My eyes widened, "May, how can we eat all of that?" I looked at her astoundingly.

"Oh this? This is for me. I'll grab your snacks after I set this down." May said as she put the snacks down. I sweat-dropped.

"No need…I'm not hungry." I said, laughing sheepishly.

"Really? But it's going to be a two hour movie." She said, reminding me.

"I know but I just don't feel like eating that much. I have other stuff on my mind…" I said as I drifted off into thought. However it seemed that May didn't heed much attention about what I indirectly meant as she just shrugged and carried the snacks and drinks, wiggling her legs as we entered the movie theatre.

We took the front row seats and sat down, eagerly waiting for the movie to start. As the movie started, I couldn't help but to drift into thought about my decision about Kenny. I wondered if I should go out with him. He seemed like a nice guy…maybe a little bit desperate but a nice guy nevertheless. He also seemed trustworthy and seemed like the ideal boyfriend I could have.

This was all happening too fast for me. I've never even had a boyfriend before. Of course, I didn't ignore all the attention I would get from some males a few years back but it never meant that I had any interest in boys. I would say that a certain boy looks cute or hot but to get into a romantic relationship would be crossing another road for me. My only interests were friends, hanging out and dancing especially. The thought of having a boyfriend hadn't struck my mind even once.

I was at crossroads. I needed advice. Should I tell May about this? She seemed like the kind of girl that would give me good advice when I needed it. But wait, has she ever been in a relationship before?

"Dawn! DAWN!"

"Huh!? Wha?" I exclaimed, suddenly out of my thought process.

"It's intermission! Let's go! Where were you lost?" May said, snapping a finger in front of my eyes.

"Oh…" Dang, was I thinking through half of the movie? "Heheh, I was just…lost about the movie..it's…so fascinating…" I didn't feel the need to tell May about Kenny just yet. I would tell when the time was right.

"Hmm…" She added suspiciously, "Well okay, come on I need to use the bathroom, that pepsi really got to me." She said as she made a hilarious face of holding her urine. I giggled as we got out and she hurried to the bathroom.

While May was in the bathroom, I was constantly wondering whether I should reveal it to her or not. Soon enough, she came out with a relieved expression planted on her face.

"Whoo!" She exclaimed as she came up to me. "Glad that's over…" I giggled as I rolled my eyes.

Then May began talking about the movie and I was listening while at the same time I was drifting into thought, so I could barely keep track of what May was saying.

"Don't you think that guy was so hot?" May squealed.

Nod.

"And don't you think he's such a sweetheart?"

Nod.

"And Dawn is a total maniac, right?"

Nod.

…Wait, what? "HUH?!" I suddenly arrived into the real world.

"I knew you weren't listening to me!" May said as she stomped her foot. Well, I guess I was caught after all.

"Dawn, what's going on? You've been lost in thought all day. Throughout the movie and right now when I was talking to you. What's up? What are you thinking about that's so important?" I sighed. I felt terrible for not telling her about Kenny before. I was a bad friend.

I guess I had no choice but to reveal it now, "Okay," I sighed, "I'm sorry, May. Really sorry. I just didn't know whether and when I should tell you but I might as well right now."

May crossed her arms impatiently while cocking her head a little, "Well, I'm waiting. And you better make it quick, the rest of the movie's gonna start soon and I don't wanna miss a thing."

I said without any hesitation, "Kenny asked me out earlier."

May's jaw dropped, "What." It was more of a statement than a question. I hadn't expected that reaction from her. Then all of a sudden, that shocked expression in her blue eyes changed into one of glee, "No way! That's awesome!" She squealed.

I covered my ears, "Not so loud!"

"Sorry," She sheepishly said. "But I'm-I'm really happy for you Dawn. This is amazing. I told you he likes you! I told you!" I somehow knew she was gonna tell me that.

"Slow your roll sister. I haven't said my answer yet." I said in a calming tone.

"Well what are you waiting for? Do it." May said. She didn't realize that it wasn't easy for me.

"May, I told you before that I don't like him." I said with my hands on my hips.

"So? Give him a chance. He might actually woo you."

"You think?"

"Yeah, he seems like a very sweet guy. Also trustworthy and really friendly. I'm sure you two would make a great pair." May suggested while winking.

I scratched my chin a little, thinking while doing it, "Hmm…well…if you think so, then I guess I _could _give him a chance."

May immediately smiled, "That's great Dawn! And don't worry, if he ever and I mean _ever _breaks your heart, I will not hesitate to beat him into pulps, throw him in the blender and then throw him into the Atlantic Ocean!" May's aggressive manner sure surprised me but I loved it.

I giggled, "Thanks May."

"No probs!"

* * *

The next day at school arrived and the first thing I planned on doing is telling Kenny my answer. Fortunately, I saw him at the lockers trying to unlock it and looking frustrated.

"Hey Kenny." I sang like a bird but he just flinched a little and turned around abruptly.

"Ah-hey Dawn….uhh…sup?" He crossed his arms as if he was cool but I could tell he was nervous enough to wet his pants.

"Well…I thought about what you asked me and well…" I hesitated.

"Yeah?"

"I decided that.."

"Yes, go on!" He said impatiently.

"My answer is yes." I smiled.

That moment right there was the most hilarious and wacky scene that I would never forget. As soon as he heard that one word, he started jumping around and pumping his fist into the year as if he had just won an award. I thought it was over, but my eyes widened when he started yelling to random people about how 'he's the happiest boy alive.' And finally, when he became calm, he maintained himself and walked back to where I was, stifling back my laughter.

He cleared his throat a little, "Sorry you had to see that." He was now starting to be a little embarrassed.

I giggled a bit too loud, "No worries. That's something I'm not going to forget for a while now."

Surprisingly, he chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "Yeah. By the way, I'm really happy you said yes. Thank you and I promise that I won't make you regret it."

I smiled, "I have no doubt. So when is the date?"

"Uhh," Kenny thought, "How about Friday?"

"Friday it is then!" I exclaimed.

"Great!" He smiled awkwardly.

"…Yeah…great…" I smiled sheepishly.

"Coooll…" He said while stretching it a bit.

"Coolll." I did the same.

"Well okay then…seeya." I said and quickly turned around, avoiding eye contact with Kenny.

Jeez, talk about awkward…

I nervously opened my locker and grabbed my books and turned around to have a heart attack, leaving me to drop my textbooks.

"AHHHHH!" The scream was then muffled with a hand to my mouth.

"Would you stop screaming, gosh you're acting like I'm gonna rape you." Ash said. I mumbled something but he couldn't hear.

"What?" He asked, listening closely. Then he realized he still had his hand covered on my mouth.

I sighed, "What do you want?"

"I was just wondering if we're still on for tonight…" He smirked but I was too naïve to notice.

"Yeah we are-wait! Why are you smirking?" I put my hands on my hips and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh no reason…" He said as he continued smirking. I gulped.

I suddenly felt my heart beating so fast that I could barely move. It was that same time I was reminded of that dream I had with Ash yesterday. And now, I don't know why, but this guy made me nervous and now caused butterflies in my stomach. It didn't make sense! I despised this guy from the first day I met him! He was the biggest pervert and player but yet I had the hots for him. And Kenny…he's the most sweetest guy ever but all we could do so far is engage in really awkward conversations.

But wait, that dream doesn't mean anything. No, it was not a dream. Dreams come true. That was a nightmare. A nightmare that I wouldn't ever want to come to reality. And most of all, one that should never be revealed in the slightest to Ash Ketchum.

"See you tonight then. Wear something pretty." He winked and then walked away while I made a face of disgust.

Then the bell commenced for classes to start. I picked up my textbooks and walked into my first class. What I saw next totally shocked me. My eyes had just witnessed Drew kissing May on the check while she giggled.

"Woah, woah!" I exclaimed and then May and Drew gasped, reformed themselves and acted natural as if nothing happened.

"Hey Dawn, wassup?" She spat out to avoid any questions.

"I saw what happened here…" I smirked.

"No! Nothing happened! Nothing at all! Right Drew?" She looked at Drew with 'the eyes'

"Uhh-Yeah! We're just being a couple of normal students and talking to each other and stuff…"

"Uh huh yeah suuureee." I added sarcastically. I was so not going to let this topic go.

But I let it slip for now. The teacher had arrived and she had begun her lesson on more algebra in Math and the first time ever, I never had the urge to sleep and lie on my desk. I was actually paying attention in class. I surprise myself sometimes.

However, when the teacher assigned us some problems to do, I began to drift into thought again. I actually couldn't wait for the date on Friday. I wanted to see what Kenny's plan was to woo me. I just hoped nothing would go wrong.

* * *

**Okay, not bad for this chapter right? I'm glad you agree. ^_^**

**Yeah right, maybe nobody agrees because Dawn's going out with Kenny! *gasp***

**No worries though, I'll make sure that Pearlshipping stays at the end as always. **

**Thank you for your time and please review. See you next time!**


	9. Chapter 9: The Date

**Hello everybody! Well….before you start yelling in my face on how I've been reluctant to update my stories, I can tell you that I have a very reasonable explanation for it.**

**And well…yeah I got lazy…hmm, that sounded better in my head.**

**BUT! THERE IS A BUT! (lol) I only got lazy AFTER I got my brand new laptop and it's honestly everything what I asked for, so that's amazing. And I'm sorry guys but come on, I think procrastination and laziness are almost everybody's skills, am I right? **

**So, without further ado, here's the next chapter!**

* * *

I woke up to find all my scattered clothes on the bed. I groaned seeing the pile of clothes that had been sitting on my bed since yesterday night and I also groaned because I was just really lazy to clean and put all of this away. It was strange, whenever I change my clothes, I always find myself throwing it onto the floor or on the bed and it was only in very rare occasions would I ever neatly fold my clothes and place them in my closet where it belongs.

Yawning, I stretched my arms and opened my blinds, grimacing a little when I felt the sun's powerful rays on mine. Today was Friday.

Today was my first date.

Yesterday night, I had spent a few hours looking for a suitable outfit for my date with Kenny and to my surprise, I wasn't satisfied with any outfit that I had. I spent a few good minutes trying on every imaginable article of clothing that I could find, but whenever I looked in the mirror, it just didn't seem to satisfy me. And that was the reason a huge pile of worn clothes remained on my bed.

After I brushed my teeth, made myself some burnt toast and some unsalted eggs, I put on my backpack and headed outside, locking the door behind me.

Now I know that on any first date, a girl is supposed to have butterflies and knots in her stomach, but for some reason, I didn't. Perhaps it was because I wasn't really familiar with Kenny or even knew his damn birthday, but that's what dates are for…to get to know the person better.

But because this was my first date, I also wanted to leave a good impression. Kenny seemed like a nice guy which is why I wanted to give him a chance. I was curious to see how this date turned out tonight.

A car horn beeped which caused me to halt and turn my head to the side to see the familiar black Mercedes parking beside me. The window rolled down to reveal none other than Ash Ketchum, "Hey toots, want a ride?" He said, his lips forming into a smirk.

I scoffed, "No thanks. I'm taking the bus as usual."

"Come on, I don't bite." He said, "You know, unless you want me to." He said while wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

I rolled my eyes, "Get off my back, asshole. I'm taking the bus."

And with that, I walked away.

As I made myself towards the bus, I noticed students standing outside while the bus driver seemed to be busy on the phone. As I wondered what was going on, I saw a familiar brunette.

"Hey, May, what's going on?" I asked as I approached her.

"The bus is broken down," She frowned.

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah," She sighed, "Guess we'll just have to walk there."

I slowly nodded my head as we started to walk and soon I noticed that other students were walking behind us as well.

And again, the familiar black Mercedes approached us again. "My offer's still open you know," Ash said to me.

May practically was begging through her eyes and I was getting really pissed off. I don't get it! Why the hell does everyone fawn over Ash?! Just because he's good looking and way too handsome for his own good doesn't mean he gets to be the goddamn controller of the entire school!

…Okay, I don't know where that came from.

I sighed seeing the distance we had to walk to get to school and by the time we did, it would be really late….not that I cared anyway but the thought of the hot sun burning my face wasn't a good idea.

"Okay," I said, defeated and May squealed and opened the back door of the car.

I quickly followed behind and sat in the car, remaining quiet.

"Glad you could make it, girls." Ash grinned in the rear view mirror. I rolled my eyes.

"Thank you so much for driving us to school, Ash!" May squealed.

I didn't say a word while on the way to school, simply because I really…really…couldn't stand Ash and his egoistical ways.

Then again, for some reason, sometimes when I was around him, I would find my breaths getting smaller and my heart beating faster. And that just made me angrier, because why am I getting attracted to him when I was supposed to hate him?!

Yes, I admit it! I was attracted to Ash…however I wouldn't say it out loud.

* * *

I was currently in my first period: English.

"And that's how an argumentative essay is supposed to be carried out…" The teacher trailed off.

Can this get any more boring?!

I looked around to see Gary, Drew and Ash sleeping on their desks. I was surprised I wasn't sleeping myself, I mean, this teacher was so boring that she couldn't even entertain a one year old baby!

I whispered to May, "Kill me please."

May giggled in response, "I'll get the rope and meet you at your house tonight."

"No! Not tonight! It's my date with Kenny, remember?" I said and she nodded.

"Right, the date. Ooooohhhh," May exclaimed, making a noise to tease me.

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever. At least I tell you stuff and don't keep things a secret."

May raised an eyebrow, "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, missing what I was hinting.

"Drew kissed you on the cheek a few days ago!" As I said that, I noticed May's cheeks dusting with a light red to which I smirked slightly.

"Well.." She muttered, "You didn't tell me what happened with Ash the other day!" She exclaimed, a little loudly, "He came over to practice for the dance project with you right?"

I nodded, "Yeah, he did. But you have to tell me how that kiss happened first." I said and she grumbled while rolling her eyes.

"Okay fine-"

"Dawn and May!" Our heads turned towards Ms Abigails, who seemed so furious that flames could actually erupt from her nostrils, "Would you like to share your oh so interesting conversation with the rest of the class?" She said, while tapping her foot gently and giving us a death glare.

"Sorry, Mrs, we didn't mean to disrupt the class," May apologized as sincerely as possible and I was relieved when she gave a gentle smile and continued on her lecture.

"We'll talk about this in lunch," I whispered daringly to her.

She nodded in response, "Okay,"

* * *

It was lunch time and I was at my lockers taking out some books when Kenny approached me, "Hey, Dawn." He smiled.

"Hey, Kenny." I greeted as I closed my locker.

"So you excited for tonight?"

I didn't wanna give him an answer that might offend him in a way so I decided to be casual, "I'm looking forward to it."

"Cool, so I'll pick you up at 6. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, it's not a problem." I winked playfully and he smiled at this. "Where are you taking me by the way?" I asked.

His eyes suddenly showed a hint of mischief in them,"You'll know eventually."

I groaned, "Fine...I guess I have no choice but to wait." I said as I sighed depressingly.

He just seemed to let out a chuckle, "Don't worry. You'll have fun."

"Alright, well I'll see you later, Kenny, I gotta meet up with May." I said matter-of-factly.

"Okay," He nodded and before I turned to head to the cafeteria, he was surprisingly close to me after just walking about two steps towards me and before I could retort, he enclosed me in a blissful hug. Staying there for a few seconds, I responded by placing my arms around him. His body was actually pretty soft and comfortable. We stayed there for about five seconds and it seemed like Kenny was reluctant to let go. After what seemed like ages, he finally released and gave me a genuine smile before walking away.

Shaking my head in amusement, I headed towards the cafeteria. My eyes caught something..or rather someone talking to May. It was Drew, which was not a shocker. I wanted to know what they were talking about and I knew that May would find every excuse to not tell me, so being the nosy person I am, decided to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"I mean, I want to but I'm not sure I feel yet," I heard May say. Hmm...how she feels, eh?

"Come on, didn't it mean anything to you?" Drew said in a rather husky voice as he grabbed May's hand. I could see May widening her eyes.

She slowly nodded, "It did...but I'm just not sure."

"Then I guess I gotta convince you," He said and I'm pretty sure that I had my mouth wide open when I saw Drew lean in to kiss May. I should have done something, but May and Drew so lost in their kiss that I didn't want for them to stop. May gave in as she placed a palm on his cheek as he seemed to deepen the kiss.

The two broke apart, both short of breaths, before mumbling something inaudible to each other as they headed out of the cafeteria, ignoring the longing looks from students who noticed the almost make out session.

Well...that escalated quickly.

* * *

It was after school when I saw Ash and Serena eating each other's faces beside the large gate. Rolling my eyes in disgust, I wondered why Ash would even consider kissing a nasty vemon like Serena. Even though Serena seemed like his type, I was positive that no one could handle a girl who was only engrossed with herself. To top it off, Ash and Serena both have the knowledge that they don't care for each other in the slightest, so why the hell were they making out right now?

I proceeded to walk while the sun's rays beat down like a drum against me. I still hadn't gotten a chance to talk to May about Drew yet, I thought it would be best if I asked her tomorrow, when she was more comfortable talking about it.

"Hey."

My head whipped to my right, seeing Ash in his gorgeous black Mercedes again, "What do you want now?" I grumbled.

He feigned a look of hurt, "I just wanted to see if you wanted a ride."

I widened my eyes, "What, are you my personal chauffeur or something? What's up with all the rides?"

He shrugged, "So you don't want a ride then?" He questioned, suggesting a challenge.

I hated to admit it, but he was right. I really was in no mood to be walking in this scorching heat. "Fine," I gave in and opened the car door to sit in the seat beside him, taking a rather bold move.

He smirked, "So you're sitting beside me now,"

I rolled my eyes, "Just drive."

He let out a laugh before putting the car in drive and headed towards the road. The atmosphere was really quiet and gloomy until Ash spoke, "So any plans for tonight?"

I glanced at him, "Wouldn't you like to know?" I responded, teasingly.

He glanced at me before turning his attention back to the road, "Well yeah, that's why I'm asking."

"None of your business," I spat in his direction.

"Damn, I was only asking," He defended and I noticed he had a saddened expression on his face.

I sighed, "Yeah..." I hesitated, "I actually do have plans for tonight." Why was I saying this?! I couldn't believe my ears; I was actually willingly informing Ash, a guy whom I think is annoying as hell, about my plans for tonight.

He glanced at me with a shocked expression, "Really?"

"Yup."

"What kind of plans?" He asked as he looked at me.

I gulped. Was I really going to tell him?

"It's a date." I heard myself say and he nodded with understanding.

"Oh." For some reason, that simple reaction from him seemed like one of hurt...one that was upset.

"Yeah."

Before he could ask me anything else, we arrived at my house and I got out from the car before looking back at him through the window, "Thanks for the ride Ash."

"Sure thing, cupcake." He smirked.

"Don't call me that," I retorted.

"Sure thing, babe." He said as he continued to smirk.

"Shut up." I said, getting slightly annoyed.

He chuckled, "See you later, Dawn. Have fun on your date." He said giving me a smile. A smile! It was in a long while that I had ever seen Ash smile, rather than smirk to me, and I had to admit...he looked pretty handsome when he did.

"Thanks," I said shyly before walking to my front door.

* * *

When I got home, I got a call from my mother an hour later and she informed me that she was coming back home tomorrow. I grumbled at the thought of my mother coming back, but at the same time, I realized that I missed her as well as her bossy ways. After all, no matter how much times I complain, fret and get annoyed with her, I always appreciated her.

Soon, I started to get ready for my date tonight. Finally coming on the perfect outfit, I wore a simple yet elegant sleeveless pink peplum top with a black skirt that fell below the knees. On the skirt, there was a gold chain that was outlined from my mid waist to my left hip. My blue hair was let loose with a pink headband. I didn't apply that much makeup on, just some strawberry lip gloss and some eyeliner.

As soon as I was finished, the doorbell rang and I nonchalantly opened the door to see none other than Kenny. He had his brown hair slightly combed but messily and he was dressed in a buttoned down checkered shirt covered by a leather jacket with some blue loose jeans. "Hey." He breathed, "Ready to go?"

I nodded as I grabbed my purse, "Yup. Let's go." I said before closing the door, awaiting to see how this night turned out.

* * *

"So now can you tell me where we're going?" I asked as we were walking towards the next block. It was currently dark outside with the only light being the moon and stars above. A little chilly breeze blew and I was thankful that I grabbed my sweater before we left. I looked down to see Kenny's hand enclosed in mine.

"Come on, Dawn it's only a few more minutes, be patient," He told me, but I could tell that he was amused.

"Okay, fine," I said as I rolled my eyes.

We kept walking for a while until I noticed that it was really...serene...and quiet. I noticed that Kenny was barely making any conversation with me...actually he didn't mention anything at all. I mean, sometimes it is quite nice when two people can just be with each other and feel comfortable without saying any word, but this was just plain awkward.

"So...wonderful weather we're having, huh?" I suddenly asked, which made Kenny glance at me.

He smiled, "Yeah. I like night time rather than day time."

_Ok good, Dawn, you're making conversation with the boy, now continue! _"Hmm, what about night time do you like?"

I saw him ponder on it for a while, "Well for one, I think that at night it's really peaceful. Like, it's a moment for yourself where you can dream or just think about anything really. It's just a thought." He explained, while shrugging on the last part.

I nodded, "Makes sense, I guess."

Not even a second passed before Kenny said, "Okay, we're here," He said and I sighed in relief before looking at where we had arrived. My eyes widened at the sight.

It seemed to be an outdoor activity where people were setting up tables and decorations. Light instrumental music was being played and there was some chit-chat occurring among people. Surrounded by me were some palm trees that danced with the wind.

I turned to Kenny, "Where are we?"

He looked at me, "This is a ball that's held every Friday night at 6. The folks here just want to encourage some couples to come and enjoy themselves, you know?" He started as he explained, "And I know how much you like dancing, so I thought, why not?"

I smiled seeing Kenny's kindness and sincerity, "Kenny...that's really nice of you. I certainly wasn't expecting this." I said and he smiled.

"Thank goodness, cuz, I thought you know, you'd be mad at me for not taking you to a fancy restaurant or something," He said and I laughed.

"I don't get angry at those kinds of things. I really like where we are, trust me, if not, I'd tell you otherwise," I said, grinning.

"Well, okay then, let's sit down and eat something," He said and I nodded as he directed me over to a table.

After looking around and noticing the atmosphere, I said, "Wait, I didn't know they serve food here," I said, suddenly realizing that Kenny mentioned that this was a ball and not some typical party, "This is a ball and-OMG! This is a ball!" I said, ripping my hair out. Kenny looked at me, as if I had grown two heads.

"Well, they do serve food here, did you think I would let you stay hungry?" He said, a slight smirk on his face, "And what's wrong with this being a ball?" He asked.

"Well, I don't have a proper outfit on! I mean, how can I go ball dancing in clothes like these?" I exclaimed, gesturing to my clothing.

Kenny slightly shook his head, "It's not really a formal ball. Like I said, anybody can go to this, it's open to everyone. And we can come however we want...you know within reason." He said.

"Ohh," I said, forming an 'o'.

He chuckled, "Yeah."

"Hey good night you two," A lady said to us. She seemed rather fair in her complexion and she looked like she was in her mid twenties, "Welcome to Friday's Ball night dance, where we invite young couples to just enjoy each other's company. Can I get you two anything?"

Kenny nodded, "Yeah, I'd like a hamburger with fries," He said and the waitress (At least, I think she was a waitress) glanced at me.

"Uhh..." I managed to say, "I dunno, really. What's good here?"

"You're looking at her," She winked at me and I widened my eyes, leading her to giggle a bit, "Just kidding," Even Kenny seemed a little surprised. "Well, today, we have a special and it's a turkey coated with honey barbecue sauce with bacon and eggs on the side. I know it's nothing unique, but trust me, you'll think the taste is unique!" She said rather enthusiastically and I looked at Kenny who seemed impressed as well.

"Damn, why didn't I ask for the special first?" He fussed and I giggled.

"Hmm...I'll take it then. Let's see if it's tasty as you say so," I winked and she smiled while taking the order down and heading the other direction.

"So...while we're waiting, why don't you tell me about yourself?" He asked.

I started to twirl my hair in between my fingers before saying, "Well, I'm from Sinnoh but I moved to Unova to finish high school. I'm sixteen years old and an only child to a single mother."

"Cool, I'm a single child too...well I mean, I don't have any brothers and sisters," He said, sheepishly.

I giggled, "I knew what you meant. What about you?"

"Hmm," He thought, "Well, I'm interested in dance, just like you. I live with my mom and dad further way in town. I like playing sports-"

"Which ones?" I asked.

"Mainly basketball and baseball."

"Well, I don't mean to brag..but," I said while flipping my hair to which Kenny laughed, "I'm really good at volleyball," I said, smirking.

"Nice, I like volleyball, maybe we could have a match one day," He suggested.

I nodded, "I'd like that."

Before we could talk for any longer, the waitress arrived at our table placing our respective orders for us before she left to deal with other young couples. I stared at my dinner plate in anticipation. _This turkey is HUGE! How am I supposed to eat all of this? But it does look really tasty..._ Shaking my thoughts away, I immediately dived in and started chewing. As the turkey hit my taste buds, I refused to moan in satisfaction. I thought that the turkey would be bland and flavorless but I was wrong. This was really divine.

"Dawn?" Kenny looked at me with widened eyes.

"Yes?" But it came out as a mumble withing chewing and that's when I flushed in embarrassment.

_Gosh, Dawn, you eat like a pig!_

Kenny chuckled while I proceeded to take a napkin and wipe the crumbs on my lower mouth, "Sorry," I said sheepishly. "I forgot to eat, you know, like a proper lady," I said, still flushing in embarrassment.

"That's okay, I don't mind," Kenny said as he started eating his hamburger.

After we had finished eating, I looked at my plate, which was empty. _I can't believe I ate this entire turkey! I feel like I became a turkey... _

"Alright, everybody," I looked up to see a female speaking through a mic, "This is your time to really cherish the night, so don't hesitate to spend your time with your partner in a small romantic slow dance." She said and she gestured two young boys to play a small melody.

"Wanna dance?" He asked as he held out a hand.

"I thought you'd never ask," I said as I smiled, taking his hand. He led me some steps forward in the midst of the area, where I placed my hands around his neck and he placed his hands gently around my waist.

We slowly began moving towards the soft melody and I could see Kenny smile, probably flushing a little bit. I was slightly nervous to be this close to Kenny, but I never had any fireworks erupting inside of me or any sort of butterflies in my stomach. He spun me around for a few seconds until we were moving side to side again. I could notice Kenny enjoying himself and I had to admit...so was I.

* * *

Before I knew it, our night had ended and we were currently standing at the front door to my house.

"Thanks for this amazing night Kenny, I had a great time," I admitted honestly.

He ran his fingers through his hair for a while and said, "No problem. I had fun too actually. And I'd just like to say that this was probably the most fun nights I've had in a while,"

"Hmm, so I must be special then," I teased.

He smiled, "You are." I looked at him and he stared in my blue eyes, "You have no idea how special you are. No matter what you say, you're unique and you have no idea what and how I feel about you." He said and just like that, I was rendered speechless.

I was in a daze. No guy had ever said that to me, but yet...I just couldn't develop any feelings for him.

Before I knew what was happening, he leaned in closer and closer, until our noses were touching...

* * *

**;)**

**Yes, a cliff-hanger...sorry I couldn't help myself!**

**What do you guys think about this chapter? Isn't Kenny such an awkward sweetie? Leave your reviews below and don't be shy! I wanna hear your opinions!**

**By the way, if this has any grammatical errors, I'm sorry, I couldn't get the time to edit this so hopefully there's not too much errors.**

**Thank you for reading, everyone and I'll see you guys next time! :)**


	10. Chapter 10: Coffee

**Hey guys! I'm here with yet another update. I think you guys might like this one! :D So enjoy!**

* * *

I just stood there while he was leaning closer and closer, my heart racing and my breaths getting smaller. I wasn't sure what to do in situations like these. This would be my very first kiss.

A ringtone blasted loudly, causing Kenny to jump back a little. I sighed a breath of relief. I wasn't prepared to have my first kiss and on my first date. Ignoring Kenny's sheepish reaction, I answered my phone.

"Hello?"

"Dawn! Where are you?" It was my mom.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"I'm at the airport! I have been since the past fifteen minutes," She told me matter-of-factly.

"What! But I thought you were coming tomorrow?"

"I think the plane landed early. Now please be a dear and come pick me up, I need some help as well." She told me.

Sighing, I nodded, "Okay..I'll be there. Bye." I said and then I ended the call.

I glanced at Kenny who was still standing there with a somewhat sheepish expression, probably of what happened earlier. He must've felt awkward now, but I made a mental note to myself to thank my mom for calling at an appropriate time. I wanted my first kiss to be right. I didn't want to be rushed.

"Everything okay?" He asked me.

"Yeah. I just gotta pick my mom from the airport." I said, nodding.

"Oh. Well, the airport's pretty far away and I don't have a ride. What are you gonna do?" He asked me, worriedly.

I shrugged, "I'll just catch a taxi. No need to worry." I told him.

"Are you sure? Maybe I could tag along with you?" He suggested.

I widened my eyes. Mom would get the wrong impression if he saw Kenny with me and she'd automatically assume that he's my boyfriend. Well, he didn't ask me to be his girlfriend, but still. It wasn't a bad assumption, but my mom never approved of boys and she always warned me about them. Most importantly, she thought I was way too young to have a boyfriend.

"Maybe next time, Kenny." I pleaded with my eyes and he seemed to have gotten the message.

"Alright. You have my number in case, right?"

"Yup. In my phone." I said.

"Cool. I'll text you later. Bye, Dawn." He smiled, touching my hand gently before walking away from me.

"Bye," I whispered softly, "Thanks for the great night."

I quickly called for a taxi and we headed off for the airport. I texted my mom that I was on my way and just as I was about to put my phone away, the ringtone blasted.

"Hello?"

"Hey, girl, how was the daaaateeee?" I could practically hear May smirking through the phone.

"It was good, actually. Kenny's a nice guy." I told May. "He took me to this outdoor place where couples just enjoy each other every other Friday evening. We ate, talked and even danced a little before we headed back to my place. Not bad for my first date." I said as I crossed my legs in the backseat of the taxi, getting comfortable.

"Nice. Well, you're missing an important detail." May said, rather vaguely.

"What?"

"You know…after every date…."

"Yes?"

"Are you telling me that Kenny didn't kiss you?!" She exclaimed through the phone.

I rolled my eyes. Typical. "Weeeell…he tried, I'll tell you that."

"OMG!"

"But we didn't kiss," I told her quickly before she started to fangirl through the phone.

"Aww," I heard her pout, "Why not?"

"Because the great Arceus answered my prayers by letting my phone ring at that exact moment." I told her, grinning.

"Darn! What did he do?"

"Well, it was kind of awkward at first, but I had to leave to pick my mom up at the airport. And he soon left. I'm actually in a taxi right now heading to the airport." I said.

"Ah," May said in realization.

"Now don't think you're off the hook. You have to tell me what happened with Drew. I saw you two almost making out in the cafeteria this afternoon," I said, smirking and I could tell that May was blushing due to the lack of a response.

"Well, if you think we're dating, we're not." She said, her voice soft.

"I didn't ask if you were dating. I just want to know what happened…or what's happening between you and Drew. Do you…like him?"

"That's the thing…I don't know if I like him or not. I'm not sure how I feel." She told me and I nodded in understanding, although she couldn't see me.

"What about when he kissed you on the cheek? And when he kissed you today?"

"Well, the kiss on the cheek was a result of losing a bet that I don't want to talk about. And when he kissed me on the cheek, it just felt...right. I had this weird feeling in my stomach; as if it was turning into a knot and my heart was beating more than ever. I found myself getting attracted to him, which was weird to me, because all this while, I thought Drew was an annoying and egoistical jerk." She explained, then sighed heavily. I processed the information.

"Hmm, what about the kiss today?"

"Apparently, he had the same feelings towards me when he kissed me on the cheek. So, we were talking in the cafeteria and he asked me if I felt anything after that kiss and because I was unsure of how I felt, he then kissed me to convince me that we have mutual feelings for each other." She hesitated before saying, "It was honestly the best kiss I ever had, Dawn! But I was so embarrassed cuz everyone was watching us…" She trailed off.

I smiled. I was really happy for May having some love interests for Drew.

"What do you think I should do, Dawn? He asked me out and I told him I need time,"

"May!" I exclaimed. "It's obvious that you like him and so does he! I think you should go for it!"

"You think?"

"Of course I do! And besides, I've noticed the way he looks at you. He really likes you, I can tell, but I guess he got a way to hide it."

I heard her sigh, "Okay. I'll do it!"

"Yes!" I exclaimed in delight. I noticed the car had now halted and I was parked near the airport.

"Oh! I have to go, May. I reached the airport, I'll call you later." I told her.

"Okay, Dawn! See ya! And thanks."

"No probs!" And with that, I shut off the call.

I quickly got out of the taxi, before looking at the window to the taxi man, "Hey, please wait here, I'll just bring my mom with me and you can drop us home."

"Sure." He told me and with that, I headed inside the airport.

* * *

Luckily, I saw my mother immediately and she waved me. Instead of waving back, I rushed towards her and engulfed her in a big hug. Her arms were comforting me and we stood there for about five seconds before we let go.

"Hey, sweetie, how have you been?" She asked me, tearing up a little.

I giggled, "I'm just fine, mom. And why are you crying? It's only been a week."

"I know, but you're my only child and a mother misses her only child, you know."

I smiled seeing my mom's case of emotional tears, "I missed you too, mom." I told her honestly.

She lit up, "Really? I would have thought you'd be happy without me. No mom means no telling you what to do so I think you took advantage of your freedom." She said and I widened my eyes. Busted!

I laughed sheepishly, "Well…maybe. But that doesn't mean that I didn't miss you." I told her and she smiled.

She laughed, "Alright. Now help me with these suitcases," She said, pointing towards the suitcases beside her. I lifted up the handle and started to drag it across the airport floor.

"So, how's grandma?"

She glanced at me. "She's doing much better. That's for sure."

I sighed a breath of relief, "That's good to hear." I said and she nodded.

"Yeah, she told me that she still has a few more years to live but for now she's not going anywhere." She said, in a joking manner but somehow I didn't take it as a joke. It wasn't even funny.

I stopped, "Was it that serious?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

I remained silent and in worry.

"Come on, let's go. Don't worry about it." She said and I slowly nodded before continuing to walk.

"Oh, let's get some coffee." My mom suggested and I immediately smiled. As a mother and daughter, one of the things we had in common was coffee. Coffee really lifted our moods and helped us to relax together.

Soon enough, my mom gave me a cup and I smiled before saying, "Thanks."

"Let's sit down for some time," She suggested. I heeded to her words and carried the luggage with me, walking to where the seats were.

Before I managed to sit down, my foot had gotten stuck somehow in the suitcase and struggling to get out of it, I stumbled upon my feet and tripped, dropping my coffee. Groaning in pain, I stood up slowly and noticed my mom coming towards my direction in a fit of worry.

"AAAHH!"

We both looked to the source of the voice. I widened my eyes in shock.

Ash Ketchum.

He was standing there, flailing his arms in pain and I realized that the spilt coffee had landed on his white shirt, after seeing a huge coffee stain.

"Ash! Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" I said, rushing towards him.

I wasn't sure what to do but I quickly took his hand and rushed him towards the nearest bathroom. He stood there, still groaning in pain, while I opened the sink tap and grabbed a handful of water. I gulped.

He took off his shirt.

I stood there, like a fool, taking every opportunity to notice his bare chest and if I hadn't noticed a big red stain outlined near his chest, I would have admired his six-pack as well. Slowly, I started to rub against the delicate skin and he winced in pain.

"Sorry." I said and he waved it off. He sighed a breath of relief.

"Is it better?" I asked and I noticed my voice echo in the bathroom.

He glanced at me, "Yeah. A little. Damn, how did you even spill coffee on me?"

"I'm sorry, I tripped. I didn't mean to spill coffee on you." I managed to say, sparing glances at his perfect chest every chance I got.

"See something you like?" He smirked and I widened my eyes. I really hoped that Ash didn't notice my cheeks turn into a shade of red.

"I've seen better." I lied and he chuckled a bit. One moment, he was wincing in pain and the next, smirking at me.

Ash was really confusing but yet, I am as well. I couldn't understand why I was staring at his chest. Well, it was because I admitted to myself that I am attracted to him, however, I had to control myself. After all, Kenny wouldn't approve of me looking at other guys like that.

"Sure," He continued smirking and then put on a shirt. Rolling my eyes, we headed out of the bathroom and ignored the looks people were sending us.

We approached my mom. "There you are! Oh dear, are you okay?" My mom asked, looking at Ash.

"Yeah, I guess, it's still a little burnt, but I'll apply some cream on it when I get home." He told her.

"Okay, good. Dawn, did you apologize to Ash?"

"Of course I did!" I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, good, it's important to apologize to your friends once you've done something wrong." She told me.

I wanted to laugh. Me and Ash friends? "We're not friends, mom."

"Oh then how do you know Ash?" She asked and I was about to reply when Ash took the opportunity.

"I'm her boyfriend."

What?!

I stared at him in shock and I only got a smirk lingering on his face.

"He is?" My mom gave both of us a look of disbelief.

"You are?" I looked towards him.

He nodded, "I am!"

Again…what?!

* * *

**Who can remember where the spilling coffee thing came from? Yeah, it just brings back memories.**

**Anyways, hope you enjoyed the update!**

**Oh, before I go I just wanted to share something with you guys: This Monday, I'll be going on a holiday to L.A. for an entire week! I'm so excited, it's gonna be fun! Remember guys, I'm not an American, I'm from Belize and honestly, I need a break from Belize, so I can't wait! But that means, no updates for a while but maybe I'll still be able to read your reviews and answer to PMs!**

**So, with that, hope you enjoyed this chapter. See you guys next time!**


	11. Chapter 11: My New Neighbour

**Welcome back, everyone! I'm here with another update, so hope you guys enjoy it.**

**Also just as a side note here: I'm in a very pleasant mood…not that I'm not most of the time, but I'd just like to share something I should have from a long time ago. In January (yes 4 months ago!) I got my first term report card from junior college and I was very surprised with my results. Anyone wanna guess my gpa? No? Okay, well I'll tell you. **

**I GOT 4.O! :D**

**I'm not joking guys, I got a perfect 4.0 average and I was so pleasantly shocked. I knew I had been performing well, but not **_**that**_** well. It was the first time ever in my entire school life that I got that GPA so you can imagine how proud I was.**

**Anyways, that matter was long overdue, but here's the next chapter!**

* * *

My mother was just staring at me, or more like giving me a death glare and then she shook her head in disapproval. "I knew you were going to misbehave when I was gone. You went behind my back and did this?" She told me, her voice full of shock.

"Mom, Ash isn't my boyfriend and he will never be," I told her but I could tell that she wouldn't even consider believing me. I glanced at Ash, who seemed to be amused by the entire situation.

"Ash, you better knock it off and tell her that you aren't my boyfriend." I spat in his direction and he only seemed to let out a chuckle, succeeding to get me annoyed.

"Your daughter's really in denial for our relationship, Ms. Berlitz." He told her, slightly smirking but apparently my mother hadn't noticed it. I face-palmed.

"We'll talk about this at home, Dawn." She told me sternly. I grumbled against my breath and was really considering to kill Ash now. And what made it worse was that he was doing this intentionally for his own amusement. "Let's go."

I sighed and spared Ash one last glance before he blew a kiss in my direction, making me widen my eyes, and said, "Later, _honey_!" And he said that very loudly, catching my mom's attention.

I groaned in embarrassment. I was sure that when we reached home, my mom would probably lecture me for two hours about boys and the risks of having a boyfriend. She always thought I should stay away from boys, mostly because it could serve as a distraction from my education. My mother had already agreed for my enrolment in dance club, which took quite a long while of convincing, so the topic of having a boyfriend was out.

During the ride home, my mother didn't say a word to me. I tried to explain to her that Ash wasn't my boyfriend, but she always assumed I was lying. And what was worse was that she just wouldn't say anything. She didn't even yell at me.

I sighed in exasperation. Ash was so dead tomorrow.

Later that day, while my mom and I were eating in silence when I got a text.

_Kenny: Hey. Everything okay?_

My mom was ignoring me so I typed quickly.

_Me: Yeah. Wbu?_

_Kenny: Same. Been thinking about you._

Before I could type back a reply, my mom spoke up, "So what other secrets have you been keeping from me?" She questioned as she twisted the fork in her plate, lifting some lasagne.

"Mom, please. I've told you that Ash isn't my boyfriend. In fact, he'll never be my boyfriend because I hate him." I told her, however, she just puffed.

"And how exactly do you expect me to believe that?"

"Because I'm your daughter!"

"So? You've told me lots of lies when you were younger and now suddenly I'm supposed to believe you? Dawn, I told you that your education should be your priority, nothing else!" She started yelling.

"Okay, so I'm not the perfect child. So? No child is, we all make mistakes, mom. And just because a total stranger told you that he's my boyfriend, you believe him over me?" I asked.

"Well if that's the case, who were you texting a few minutes ago?" She asked and my eyes bulged in shock.

This was the reason I wasn't ready to tell mom about Kenny yet. She would go out of proportion and assume things without knowing the facts. I knew my mom disapproved of her only daughter having a boyfriend, especially at such a young age.

"I-It was May." I told her, suddenly losing my confidence.

She narrowed her eyes, "Yeah right." She said as she rolled her eyes, getting up from the table and heading towards the kitchen.

Yup. Ash was so dead tomorrow.

* * *

The next day, I woke up at around 9 AM and noticed my mom still sleeping. She must have been tired from her flight yesterday and from our heated argument. So, I decided to head towards the kitchen and make breakfast for the both of us. Ten minutes later, the smell of eggs, bacon and ham sandwiches filled the air. I brought my plate for the two of us in my mom's bedroom and it was then I noticed she started to yawn and stretch her arms before moving to sit on the bed.

Apparently she had forgotten about our heated argument yesterday night, so she proceeded to ask me, "Why aren't you at school?"

"Because today's Saturday and as far as I know, school doesn't happen on a Saturday." I joked slightly which caused her to smile a bit. She noticed the plate of food in my hand.

"You made breakfast?" She asked, with clear shock.

"Yup. I thought you might be tired from yesterday night." At that point, I should have slammed my mouth shut because I knew she instantly recalled our argument last night.

"Or you just want something," She said bitterly. I sighed in frustration.

"Mom, the only thing I want is for you to believe me!" I exclaimed.

"I'll be right back and then we can talk." She said as she got up from the bed and headed towards the bathroom.

Meanwhile, I started to devour my breakfast while thinking of ways I could kill Ash. I considered choking him to death, but that plan would instantly fail on me, due to the fact that Ash was more physically built than me. I was about to develop a diabolic plan to get my revenge when suddenly, my mom came out of the bathroom and I just continued to eat in silence.

Soon, my mom joined me and we ate in silence until she said, "These eggs are unsalted."

I sheepishly smiled, "Yeah. They always are when I cook them." I shrugged and expected her to let out a small laugh but all she did was shake her head in disapproval.

"Mom," I started on a serious note, "please believe me. Yesterday, Ash told you a lie because he just wanted to mess with me. I swear on my heart that Ash isn't my boyfriend. And he will never be." I stated then I added, "Plus, he already has a girlfriend. Her name's Serena."

My mother sighed before finishing the last of what was left on her plate and she then spoke, "I'm sorry."

Out of all the responses, that wasn't what I expected from her, "What?"

"Dawn, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did yesterday and the only reason I did was because I only want what's best for you. I love you so much, muffin and I guess I overreacted." She said slowly.

"I know, mom but you should have at least listened to me." I told her.

She shrugged, "You're probably right, but it was kind of difficult to do since you do go behind my back sometimes."

I nodded, "I know. And I'm sorry. It's just that I…I just want some freedom to do stuff I want."

"I understand, Dawn. I do. But for now, school is your priority. That isn't to say that you can't do other things but most teenagers deviate from school and they end up on the streets with no food. I don't want that for you. And I'm sure you don't either." She explained.

I nodded, as I gave her a light smile, "Thanks mom. I love you."

"Love you too, bunny." I rolled my eyes but still kept that smile plastered on my face. I was satisfied that this conflict had come to a resolution and we had bonded even more.

* * *

Later that night, my mom told me that we had a new neighbour across the street, so she decided for us to go on and welcome them to the neighbourhood. It reminded me of when I first moved here. I wondered if the new family across the street had the same jittery and excited emotions as I did when I first moved here.

"Dawn! Are you ready?" My mother asked as she approached my room.

I looked towards her and smiled, "Yup." I was wearing a yellow summer dress that went below the knees covered by a small black jacket on top. My lips were coated with some pink lip gloss and my eyes were smeared with some mascara. Lastly, to put the outfit together, I had put on some strappy sandals.

"Great." She chirped, "Let's go."

The chilly breeze outside made my blue locks dance a little and I was grateful for carrying along my black jacket with me. Soon enough, we had approached the front door of the house. My mother rang the doorbell. Waiting for about a few seconds, the door swung open and I noticed a lady standing in the doorway with a genuine smile on her face.

"Hello. I'm Johanna and I just wanted to say welcome to the neighbourhood." My mom said as politely as possible as she held out a hand. The lady smiled at her warm words as she shook her hand. This lady seemed to have light brown hair kept in a ponytail and she was wearing what seemed to be a long-sleeved blouse with some track pants. She seemed to be around her mid-forties.

"Thank you so much, but we've been living in Unova for basically all our lives. We just moved to this part of the neighbourhood." She said, giving her a smile.

Getting the encouragement to introduce myself, I spoke, "Hello, my name's Dawn." She smiled at me.

"She's my daughter." My mom said.

"Oh well she looks like such a wonderful young girl. Not like my son's girlfriend, that's for sure."

"You have a son?" My mother asked.

"Yes, I do. Please come on in and let's get to know each other." She said and we entered inside. The place had a nice feel to it and I could notice some unpacked boxes lying around. There were some sofas and furniture put out though.

"Mom, who was at the door?!" A voice yelled, followed by some thumping of steps.

That voice. _No…it couldn't be!_

But as the figure further descended down the stairs and as he came to me into full sight, I realized that my instincts were right.

I was standing in front of none other than Ash Ketchum.

"Dawn? What are you doing here?" He asked in astonishment.

My mother seemed surprised as well, "Ash!"

The lady, obviously, Ash's mother had a shocked expression on her face, "You guys know each other?"

"Yeah," I reluctantly said, "We're classmates."

I couldn't believe it. Ash was now my neighbour. Ash, the person whom I wanted to avoid at home, was now my neighbour.

I was really unlucky.

"That's great! You guys are already acquainted with each other." Ash's mother smiled. "That makes my job much easier."

We sat down for a while and we started to talk, well mainly mom was talking to Delia, Ash's mom while I stayed there grimacing at the thought that Ash was now my neighbour. Ash sat across from me and was constantly on his phone and he seemed to be texting somebody.

"You guys should stay for dinner. We're having steaks." I heard Delia say and I immediately shot up. "What do you think, Ash?"

He grinned, "You had me at 'steaks'!" I rolled my eyes. I couldn't take this any longer. I wanted to go home and I certainly didn't want to be having dinner with an arrogant and cocky guy who had no sensitive feelings whatsoever.

"I think that's a wonderful idea." My mom said and I gasped slightly. Had my mom forgotten that I couldn't bear Ash?

"Mom, I wanna go home." I said and I tried to hint what I was implying with my eyes but seeing the confused expression on her face meant that I was terrible at giving hints.

"Why, Dawn? Don't you wanna stay here and have some steaks?" Ash asked, probably just to spite me. He could sense that I was uncomfortable and when I saw that famous smirk growing on his face, I could tell that he wanted to win and was amused seeing me losing.

He wasn't going to have the upper hand.

"Are you okay, dear?" Delia asked, noticing my silence.

I gently smiled, "I'm fine, I was just feeling a bit dizzy but I'm fine now." I lied and it seemed that the two adults bought the lie, except for Ash, who still held that smirk of his that I wanted to slap off.

"Ok good. If you need anything, just tell me. I'm off to make those steaks." Delia said as she got up from the couch.

"I'll help you. That is, if you don't mind." My mom offered and Delia smiled.

"Isn't it too much trouble?" Delia asked.

"Of course not. I'll be happy to help you." My mom said with a smile and the two ladies went into the kitchen.

Feeling a bit awkward, I started to play with my phone for a few minutes. I could suspect Ash staring at me and I was starting to get uncomfortable, so I refused to look away from my phone. I figured he must have gotten bored, because he soon stood and practically walked into what I guessed would be his room.

I sighed in relief. I was finally away from Ash.

"Dawn!" My mom called and I walked over to the kitchen.

"Yes mom?"

"Why don't you go hang out with Ash for a while?"

I blinked, shocked, "What?" How could she even consider suggesting about hanging out with Ash when she knew about his antics?

"Mom, are you hearing yourself?" I told her.

"Honey, I know you and Ash don't get along but that doesn't mean you can't. I agree, you and him are different and you may have had some bad times with him, but you should at least make an effort." She said and I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"But I don't want to make an effort." I whined.

Soon, Delia approached me, "Dawn, I know you don't like Ash."

I raised an eyebrow, "You know that?"

She grinned, "Of course. Anyone could notice how uncomfortable you were earlier when we were talking. You barely said anything."

I could feel my cheeks flush in embarrassment, "Oh."

"Ash isn't the perfect guy, I know. But trust me, once you get to know more about him, you'll see that there's more than his arrogant mask he puts on. Trust me, my son is a real softie." Delia said. I sighed. For some reason, I couldn't believe that.

She noticed my hesitation, "At least try for me."

I groaned internally, "Oh…alright. But only for you."

"Thanks sweetie. Maybe Ash will notice that your uniqueness and become attracted to you." She winked. I rolled my eyes and wanted to throw up at that statement. I could never even imagine me and Ash together.

As I walked over to Ash's room, I noticed a sign that said 'Keep Out.' Ignoring the sign, I knocked and waited for a reply.

"Come in."

I opened the door and came in full view, seeing Ash laying on the bed with the TV remote in his hand. "Hey." I said bluntly.

"Hey, babe. So you finally decided to join me in bed huh?" He said as he wiggled his eyebrows at me.

I rolled my eyes, "Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night." And then I glanced at the TV and nearly shrieked. But before I could react he quickly changed the channel.

"-And shooting some b-ball outside of school when a couple of guys who were up to no good starting making trouble in the-" **(1)** The TV blasted but I overpowered it with my voice.

"OMG! You watch those kinds of stuff?" I looked at him, disgusted.

"What? This?" He pointed to what was playing on the TV.

"Not that. Before you changed the channel!" I yelled.

"And what if I do? I'm a guy." He said with a slight smirk on his face as he continued flipping channels.

"You're a disgusting perv." I stated.

He winked, "And you're beautiful." He said cheekily, but I had to admit, it was pretty smooth.

And somehow it warmed my heart.

* * *

**So that's the end of this chapter. I had more stuff planned but the chapter would end up being way too long. Hope you guys enjoyed it.**

** (1) Alright, so that's a theme song of a TV show. If any of you guys can guess what TV show it is, then I'm happy to say that you'll get a free ticket to New York! Nah, nah I'm kidding. BUT, if you do get it right, I'll give you a SNEAK PEAK TO ANY OF MY STORIES! Yeah, so if you do get right, I will PM you and you can ask for a sneak peak to any of current stories.**

**So with that, thanks for reading and leave a review and tell me what you think. See you guys next time!**


	12. Chapter 12: The Beginning

**Welcome back guys, here's the next update. I only have about a week until summer school finishes and then it's finally summer. Thank the beehives! I've been waiting for so long.**

**Anyways, enjoy.**

* * *

The weekend had passed in the blink of an eye and now it's Monday again. I was still trying to get over the fact that Ash was my neighbour now and it was harder than it seemed. Staying at Ash's place was unbearable, due to the fact that Ash made smart-ass comments every two seconds and it frustrated me to the point where I wanted to pull out my hair, boil it, cook it and make Ash eat it. His mere presence irritated me, so how I was going to handle being Ash's neighbour was beyond me.

And today was the day for the showcase of the pair dance that was given to us almost two weeks ago. Ash and I had practiced a bit over the weekend, but not much, since Ash was smug and insisted that it be left up to him, since he was the famous "dancin' legend." I rolled my eyes mentally as I tried to focus in Math class.

"Hey, Dawn, can I borrow your notes?" Gary asked besides me. I looked towards him and gave him a sheepish laugh.

"Are you kidding me? You actually think I take notes?" I asked incredulously.

"Oh right." He replied, laughing, "I'll just ask Zoey," He said and I nodded before the teacher noticed that we were talking and I'd have to face her wrath.

While my teacher was explaining something about simultaneous equations, I looked to see May and Drew sitting together. May seemed really happy now that those two had their feelings out in the open. I was genuinely happy for her.

Suddenly, a paper plane landed on my desk and I cocked my head at it confusion. I eyed around the room, looking for anybody suspicious. Not noticing anybody, I unfolded the paper plane and saw something scribbled.

'_Make an excuse and come out. Meet me in the bathroom.'_

The sender was anonymous so I couldn't pinpoint on who it was exactly. But that didn't keep me from wondering who it was. I made an excuse to go to the bathroom and walked towards there.

As I entered, I noticed the bathroom empty, so I waited for a while. Two minutes had passed so I scoffed silently to myself as I began cursing whoever did this to me as I began to walk out.

"Dawn!"

I stopped in my tracks as I heard the familiar voice. Before I turned around, I instantly knew who it was.

"Serena," I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes, "I should have known that you did this." I said.

"Well, now that you're here, I want to make something clear to you." She said, stepping close up to me, to intimidate me, "I heard Ash is your neighbour." She started.

"Yeah, unfortunately," I muttered bitterly, grimacing at the thought.

"Yeah, it better be unfortunate because you better not be stealing my man! It's bad enough that you're his dancing partner." She threatened viciously. I looked at her in astonishment and rolled my eyes.

"Okay, what the heck is wrong with you?! You honestly called me in the bathroom to talk about this?! And for the last time, I have no interest in your disgusting boyfriend! Don't you understand you demented blonde bitch?!" I found myself slightly surprised at my choice of words there, but I couldn't help it. Serena irritated me, almost as much as Ash.

"You're the stealing man whore!" She retorted, and then she began to pull my hair.

"Ahhh!" I winced in pain, as she pulled even harder.

"There better not be anything between you two. Otherwise, I'll make sure that your life is so miserable that you'll regret ever setting foot in this school!" She said and then pushed me, violently. Unfortunately, I lost my balance and ended up tripping and fell on the floor. I rubbed my head to soothe the pain.

"Hm." She now smirked, "I actually pity you, Dawn. Look at you on the floor – hey, while you're at it, you can eat some of the dust on the floor there, I'm sure it'll suit you, just like the _rotten trash _you are." She laughed mercilessly.

I popped a vein in anger and clenched my fists together, "Why you little –"

"Why don't you save those words for yourself, you know after you're done sleeping with the entire male population in our grade?" She interrupted and then she smiled maliciously before she walked out of the bathroom.

When she walked out, I couldn't hold it in anymore and I began to let out loud, tearful sobs, not at the physical way she assaulted me, but at the words she had told me. I took her words to heart and just continued to cry. I know I should have been stronger and insulted her back to prove myself, but I was just weak in this situation.

For a while, I continued crying until I felt someone touch my shoulder. I looked up and saw a worried May.

"What happened?! You were gone for a long time and I was really worried when you weren't going to come back and then I came here and saw that you were crying and –" I cut her off, when I reached out and hugged May and continued to sob on her shoulders. I could notice May tense for a while until she patted my back for comfort.

"Dawn. Stop, why are you crying?!" She exclaimed in worry.

"Se – Serena," I stammered, "She threatened me but this time, she really hurt me, May. S - she's a huge bitch!" I continued crying on her shoulders.

"Okay, okay, wait, stop crying for a second." She said and I sniffled a bit, trying to control my tears, "Now let's get out of here and then you can tell what happened. It's lunch anyways." She said and I slowly nodded, trying to recompose myself.

* * *

"Really? Serena did something like that to you?" May exclaimed in disbelief. I nodded.

"Yeah, she did and I don't even understand. I know those two don't like each other, so why is Serena so possessive over Ash?" I asked.

May just shrugged, "I don't know, Dawn. It's confusing." She sighed, "But are you're okay now?"

I smiled, "I'm fine now. Thanks, May. You're a really good friend."

We were at the cafeteria tables eating lunch and I had just told May what had happened between Serena and I. May was astonished that Serena would steep so low to get what she wanted. I was surprised myself as well, because Serena and I would normally just fight like cats and dogs but what happened earlier…that was no dog and cat, that was more like bullying or blackmailing.

I began to take a bite out of my hot dog, trying to forget what happened when Kenny smiled and sat down next to us. "Hey, Dawn."

I smiled, "Hey, Kenny." Truly, seeing Kenny was a big relief. While it was true that I still hadn't exactly began to develop feelings for Kenny, seeing his smile made my day a little bit better.

"I heard what happened. I'm so sorry." He said with an apologetic smile on his face, referring to Serena.

"Oh, no need to worry! I'm fine now." I said, putting a reassuring smile on my face.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

May rolled her eyes, "Yes, she is." She said, her tone filled with annoyance and I laughed.

"How was your weekend?" Kenny asked, ignoring May's comment.

Before I could answer, I noticed Drew and Gary coming over at our lunch table. I eyed May in astonishment and she seemed to be wondering the same thing.

"Why are Drew and Gary coming this way?" Kenny voiced our thoughts out and we simply shrugged in response.

"Sup ladies," Gary nonchalantly said as the two boys sat down next. Gary was currently seated next to Kenny while Drew sat next to May, who didn't really have a problem with it.

"Uhh…" I drawled out, "What are you guys doing here? You've never sat with us before."

"Well, today's an exception." Gary said and I raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Is today opposite day?" Kenny joked and Gary swatted his head.

"No, moron!" He rolled his eyes, "Today is 'the day of the Dawn'" Gary said, looking at me.

"Or otherwise known as the day where we make Dawn feel better." Drew clarified.

May looked at the two boys in utter shock, "You guys know what happened with Dawn?" She asked.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" I asked.

"Well, come on don't you think we're smart enough to know what happened?" Gary asked nonchalantly as he began to lean back against the chair, smirking. Everyone, even Kenny, couldn't believe that and was giving him a dubious look.

"Okay, we might have seen Serena walk out of the girls bathroom and heard you crying." Gary rolled his eyes.

I groaned in embarrassment, "Great, now I'm even more embarrassed." I face-palmed.

"Don't be, Dawn. Serena doesn't know what she's doing." Kenny said and I removed my palm from my face to see Kenny.

"Yeah, she's a real pain the ass. We hate her." Drew said. I noticed Drew's arm around May and if the guys weren't being so nice right now, I probably would have made a smug comment about it.

"You do?" I asked in disbelief. "Even the guys hate her!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, but she wasn't always like this." Gary stated matter-of-factly.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, in fact, I remember when Ash and Serena first started to go out. Serena was really nice back then and she was pleasant to be around with. She and Ash were just so in love and now, I have no idea what crawled Serena's ass and died." Gary explained.

"Oh yeah!" May exclaimed, "I remember. She used to always be cheerful and respectful to everybody but now it seems like she has a sour taste in her mouth." May commented.

"So, what happened? Why is she being like this?" I asked.

"We have no idea. Time passed and she just changed." Drew shrugged, "She's gotten crazier and crazier every day and even more crazy about Ash. I just don't know what the fuck's wrong with her."

"Then why doesn't Ash just break up with her?" Kenny was the one who spoke this time.

"If I had a dollar for every time I asked that to Ash and he doesn't give me an exact reason why, I'd be fucking rich and rolling around in money," Gary said dramatically, "I mean, seriously just dump the bitch." He exclaimed.

The group remained silent for a while until Kenny said, "Well, I'll be back, I have to take out some books from my locker." He said and then he looked at me and smiled. I returned the gesture and he walked away.

"Oooh~ Dawn has a boyfriend, eh?" Drew said, wiggling his eyebrows in suggestion.

"Pshh, says the one who has an arm around May." I said with a smug smile on my face. May blushed in embarrassment while Gary and I laughed a bit.

"Whatever," Drew rolled his eyes.

I skimmed around the cafeteria and noticed Ash around the corner of my eye, but he wasn't facing my direction, but rather he was talking to Serena…and they seemed to be arguing. But the couple was out of ear reach so I had no clue of what they were saying to each other.

Suddenly, Serena scoffed and walked towards another direction and I could notice Ash sigh until he turned around. I looked away, before he could notice me staring at him in curiosity. Why did he seem so upset? And what were they arguing about? I daringly looked up at Ash again and he was looking around and suddenly his eyes were on me. I widened my eyes in shock when I noticed him giving me a somewhat sympathetic look towards my way. I just turned away to avoid his gaze.

I guessed Ash must have found out about everything.

"Hey, Dawn why don't you just tell the principal about Serena?" May asked.

"Are you kidding me?" I exclaimed in disbelief, "If I do that, Serena will make my life miserable."

"But you can't just do nothing otherwise she'll just continue to take advantage of you." Gary reasoned.

And before I could reply, the bell had rung, "We'll talk about this later. Let's head to class."

* * *

The rest of the school day had passed and now we were in dance club and it was time to showcase our performances. I was dressed in a red sleeveless dress while Ash was dressed in a white buttoned up shirt that was tucked in, some black pants and a black coat to cover the white shirt.

"Okay, class," The instructor said as she clapped her hands together, "Now as you know today will be the result of your dances today, so show me what you've got." She said excitedly. "Okay, up first, let's have Kenny and Zoey!" She said.

Kenny and Zoey, wearing matching outfits, walked up to the front of the class. They eyed the classroom for a bit and we were eagerly waiting for them to start. I scrunched up my eyebrows in confusion as they just remained standing still, until I heard a metal 'tap!' on the floor.

My eyes widened as I noticed Kenny hit the floor in a rhythmic motion as he began tap-dancing. Zoey, beside him, was holding his hand and she was swaying her hips to every beat as he did so. They had begun to walk and tap dance at the same time and I swear I had eyes as dinner plates when Zoey cartwheeled across the floor.

Next, Kenny began to stand upon a chair and tap-dance to instrumental music that was being played on the radio and then Zoey had done matching moves underneath him. It was flowing in sync and I, along with the entire class, seemed really impressed. Gary had his mouth agape, while Drew had his jaw dropped and Ash…had a neutral expression, as if he was actually bored. I rolled my eyes at him.

Soon enough, the performance ended when Kenny jumped off the chair and made a devastating mistake of trying to do splits and everyone flinched in expectation when he exclaimed, "Oh!" He winced, red growing upon his cheeks, "A little help here?"

Zoey just chuckled sheepishly as she attempted to get Kenny back to his feet and soon enough they bowed, while everyone clapped (but some were teasing Kenny for his little 'incident' earlier).

"That was excellent, Kenny and Zoey! A bit messed up at the ending, though, but everything was perfect. The choreography was in sync, you demonstrated good dancing skills and most of all, you looked amazing. Great job!" The instructor said.

And the rest of the performances continued for about forty minutes. Drew and May had done well, in my opinion, they had been assigned the task of contemporary dance and they performed well together. Gary and Misty had been assigned hip-hop, and while Gary was performing the dance well, let's just say that Misty had thrown it off.

"Okay…now the last performance of the day is…Ash and Dawn." The instructor said. Ash and I eyed each other and we headed up front to perform.

I took a glance around the class and took a deep breath. The instructor looked at us curiously and then Ash held out a hand in my direction. Smiling, I took my hand in his and we commenced.

Ash started by spinning me around, three times before I started to sway my hips to and fro when he had one hand in mines and one across my waist. I could swear, Ash was looking at me with so much passion, that my breath nearly hitched. Then, I put my left arm out gracefully as I looked to the other side, while Ash did the same. Then he snaked his arm around me and lifted me up in the air, spinning me around slowly as he did so. He put me down gently and then dipped me downwards, then brought me back up again.

This continued for a while, until I was spun around vigorously several times until Ash caught me and dipped me. The performance ended when he brought me back up and we striked posed in the air. Soon enough, I could hear clapping echoing in the room.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" The instructor said, clapping, "You two were great, I just knew you two would work well together. The chemistry between you two is just amazing and your salsa dancing was in perfect sync. Ash, excellent work as usual."

"Thank you." Ash replied smugly. I rolled my eyes.

"And Dawn, you were fabulous too! I'd say you almost beat Ash in terms of dancing."

With that comment in mind, I turned towards Ash, smirked and stuck out my tongue towards him. He scoffed, "Wow, real mature."

"I know I am," I winked and then we sat down in our respective seats.

"Okay, all of the performances were really great today! So, as promised, the pair who gets the prize for the best performance…is a tie." She said and we all grew excited. "And the winners are…"

"Kenny and Zoey and Ash and Dawn!" She exclaimed and we all squealed in excitement.

"Yay!" I screamed as we headed up towards her. We took the wrapped gifts from her and thanked her as we sat down again. I wondered what was in here…it was rather big.

"Okay class, before you leave, as you all you know that there is the big dancing competition coming up. This is where all of the members of the dance club participate in a friendly competition and at the end of the competition, you will win prizes and more. And once you're the winner, you're also going to be declared as the dancing legend!" She started and everyone mumbling in sheer excitement, "And here we have the five time winner – Ash Ketchum," She pointed. The class applauded and he motioned his hands for everyone to settle down. Idiot.

"So, to sign up, you're going to have to sign up at the flyer in the school office. Once you've signed up, you will receive details about it sooner or later about the completion via email. The competition could start next month, next week, I don't know, but it depends on the details."

This was the competition that I would defeat Ash in…and nothing was going to stop me from proving myself who I was.

"Okay, enjoy the rest of your day, class!"

* * *

"Come on May, I want to go sign up!" I said excitedly, dragging May with me to the office.

"Okay!" She giggled, "I wanted to sign up as well, anyways." May said sheepishly.

"That's awesome, have you ever won?" I asked as we approached the office.

"Umm, no. I've never won, but it's nice to participate in these things." She said.

"Don't worry, we'll have fun, because this year, I'm gonna be the dancin' legend!" I exclaimed, proudly as I turned towards the lady who had a bored expression on her face.

"Excuse me, we'd like to sign up for the dance competition," I politely said and then she just irritably sighed and handed us a sheet of paper. Grinning excitedly, we quickly filled out the form and gave our email addresses and phone numbers before returning the form to the lady.

"I am so excited. I wonder when the first competition is." I said to May, who just shrugged in response.

"We'll just wait until we get texts and see," She said, "But yeah, I'm pretty excited too."

We started walking down the hallways, "So…are you going out with Drew?"

May instantly blushed, "Yeah. We're going out Friday night."

"That's awesome, May! I'm really happy for you." I said.

"Yeah, I decided to take your advice. Hopefully, it works out," She said to me.

"It will work out," I started, "Trust me, you two make a great couple." I smiled and she returned the smile. I had to admit, Drew could be a bit egoistical, but looking back when him and Gary were talking to me and trying to cheer me up, I could tell that Drew did care about people genuinely and that included May.

Suddenly, I noticed Kenny talking to Serena for a second before he turned around and looked towards us. I raised an eyebrow in confusion and then he began to walk up to me.

"Hey, what were you talking to Serena about?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh…uhh…well, just about how she shouldn't have acted that way to you this morning." He stammered a bit. I was a bit sceptical at first but then I smiled.

"Kenny, I told you, there's no need to worry!"

"But that's when I worry the most." He frowned.

I rolled my eyes, "I appreciate it Kenny, really, but you didn't have to do that. Thank you."

"I could do anything for you. Even if it involved Serena insulting me as well…" He chuckled sheepishly as he scratched his hair.

"Awww…" May gushed and I rolled my eyes.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow. Bye!"

* * *

The rest of the day passed and I was watching a movie in my room to pass the time, instead of doing my homework. It was a good thriller movie and right now, I was curled up in a blanket with a bowl of popcorn. The scary music along with the darkness of the room only made the movie that much more frightening. The door opened in the movie and out came a freaky clown, allowing me to scream in my pillow like a mad woman. I was terrified of clowns. They really creeped me out.

"Dawn!" My mom opened my door and turned on the light.

I came out from underneath my blanket, "Mom!" I exclaimed. "What are you doing, you just spoilt the mood." I sulked.

"I heard you scream…" She said and then she looked at the TV screen, "Of course…clowns."

"You know how terrified I am of them," I stated matter-of-factly.

"Maybe you should start your homework."

"Hmm…I just realized that I'm more terrified of homework than clowns, sooo…." I said, trying to hold back a grin.

"Dawn, do your homework." She instructed. I rolled my eyes as I shut off the TV. I did promise her that I would focus on my education and keep it as my priority so I heeded to her words.

As I was trying to do a math problem, I heard a tapping on my window and I flinched. For a while, nothing happened and I resumed doing the problem. Then, I heard the tapping noise again. Curious, I walked over to the window, opened the blinds and my jaw dropped when I saw Ash.

I opened the window, "What are you doing here?!"

"Hey neighbour!" He grinned, "Aren't you going to let me in?"

"No," I replied dryly, "Now get away from my window." I commanded.

"Make me," He dared.

I shrugged, "Okay." And I attempted to push him off, making him flinch in worry.

"Okay, okay," He said, worriedly, "Geez, I don't want to die yet,"

"You do realize that you're standing near my house, right?"

"I do."

I scoffed in reply and was about to walk away, when he got a hold of my arm. I looked towards him when he gave me a soft expression, "I just want to apologize on behalf of Serena."

I looked at him incredulously, "I don't need some kind of pity apology, especially not from you." I retorted.

"I know she hurt you, Dawn!" He yelled as he looked at me. I actually couldn't believe Ash was reacting this way for me. Did he honestly care that much about me? "And you never deserved it."

I took my hand back, "Why do you of all people care? You're Serena's girlfriend and even so, you've never cared about her, so why do you care if she hurt me?"

"Because she hurt the person I care about!" He said and I suddenly stopped.

Silence.

I bit my lip, "Why, Ash? Why do you care?"

He sighed, "I don't know…" He said, trailing off as he passed a hand through his auburn hair. "I just do."

Not knowing what to say, I quickly cleared my throat and said, "I have to go. Mom would kill me if she saw me not doing my homework."

"Wai –" He started to say but I closed the blinds and I proceeded to continue doing my homework.

But, let's just say that homework took a long time getting done.

* * *

**And now, I can say that this story is officially getting off to a start. This is the main part of the story and it will get more and more interesting. So stay tuned for next time on the Dancin Legend.**

**Leave a review below and tell me what you think. See you guys next time!**


	13. Chapter 13: Movie Date

"Dawn!"

"Huh?" I glanced away from my phone, looking up at Zoey, who was beginning to look at me with a flat expression, "Sorry, did you say something?" I asked, a bit sheepishly.

Two weeks had passed and I hadn't received any information about the competition and it was silently killing me. Every day, my phone would constantly beep and vibrate, giving me hopes that it was a message regarding the competition, but the messages were either from Kenny or May. And, currently, mid-semester exams were approaching, so Zoey had been helping me prepare for my exams. But sadly, I kept glancing at my phone, looking like a bit of a lost puppy.

"Yes!" Zoey said, exasperated, "I told you to start doing this math problem." She handed me a paper with a question on it.

"Oops. Sorry, Zoey, I'm really looking forward to this dance competition. I really want to win and show everyone how much I love dancing." I said, sighing.

Zoey looked at me expectantly, "I've been looking forward to it too. But really, this dance competition happens almost every year. But right now, you need to concentrate on your exam next week."

I rolled my eyes, "Ugh, you're just like my mom." I said as I hesitantly began to work on a math problem.

She winked, "But you love me anyway."

Two hours had passed on a Saturday morning and now we had shifted towards Biology, another subject I wasn't strong in. I was reading my biology textbook while Zoey was going through some answer sheets. Suddenly, I heard my mom come through the front door. She looked at me, a bit surprised as to why I would be studying and then eyed Zoey.

"Hey girls," My mom said, as she dropped the house keys on the dining table.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Johanna," Zoey smiled and my mom acknowledged her with a cheerful smile.

"Any luck finding a job?"

It was just yesterday when my mom suddenly announced that she would be getting a job. The last job that my mom had before my father had left us, was a caregiver. She loved the job and it was very satisfactory, money wise. Unfortunately, due to some issues, she had to quit because I was just a toddler at the time and had to raise me all on her own once she had enough savings in her hands.

"No…it's a bit difficult, but I'll find one eventually." She said, "So, are you girls studying?"

"Yeah," Zoey replied, "Dawn and I have exams next week. And we were doing Math and Biology first,"

"That's great!" My mom remarked, "And Dawn, I expect all A's from you," She told me in a strict voice and I just rolled my eyes and went back to reading.

* * *

Before I knew it, Sunday morning had arrived and my mom and I had decided to spend the day baking some cakes and other delicious pastries. Although, I wasn't exactly sure if you could call burnt cookies or brownies 'other delicious pastries'. We just shrugged at the though and decided to eat it anyway.

I had gotten a call from my grandmother recently and she had informed us that her health was only slightly increasing-not by a milestone, but regardless it was still good news. She told me that she expected a visit from us soon. I became a little teary-eyed when she told us how much she had missed us back in Kanto. She'd been the one to look after me when my mom was a caregiver. She'd always think of creative ways of just being with her only granddaughter, whether it be going out in the backyard to play with her dog, Fluffles, cracking some cheesy jokes, watching a few entertainment channels on TV or just talking in general.

I was in my room, in deep thought about my grandma when I heard the doorbell ring. I quickly sprinted past my bed and my mother's room and I opened the door. I slightly grimaced when I saw Ash.

"Hey, can I borrow some sugar?"

I rolled my eyes, "You seriously came over here to just borrow some sugar?" I asked in disbelief.

"Well, yes…unless you _want _me to stay here," He said, implying something with a wink. Deciding I didn't want to know, I just sighed and walked to the kitchen, ignoring the mess from earlier when we had baked those 'delicious pastries', grabbed a bowl of sugar and gave it to him.

"Thanks, neighbour," He said, taking the bowl of sugar from and giving me a small smile before leaving. I rolled my eyes and closed the door. Sighing in relief, I decided to go to my room and continue studying for my exams.

My mom had been sleeping in and after an hour or so of studying, I got a text from Kenny.

_Hey. How abt a movie tonight? – Kenny_

I held the phone in my hands, contemplating about it. A movie would be nice, especially at this time of day, but I'd have to sneak past from my mom to go with Kenny, as she still had no clue about Kenny and I. Hopefully, she'd never know.

_Okay, sure! :)__ \- Dawn_

I set my phone on the bedside table and decided to get ready. After taking a fifteen minute shower, I got dressed in a purple sleeveless top, covered with a small jacket and some dark and slightly ripped jeans. I then picked out some black flats and a small gold bracelet. By the time I had finished applying mascara and lip gloss, another fifteen minutes had passed.

I glanced at my phone and saw another text from Kenny.

_Cool! Do you want me to pick you up or will we meet up at the movies? – Kenny_

I immediately dismissed the idea of Kenny picking me up at my place, thinking that mom would surely get suspicious. I quickly typed a reply.

_I'll meet you at the movies. – Dawn_

_Okay, seeya there. :) __ \- Kenny_

After taking one last glance at the mirror and brushing my hair for the last time, I grabbed my purse and peeked in my mom's room. I parted my lips in surprise, slightly, as she had just gotten up from her afternoon nap.

"Oh hey, Dawn, where are you going all dolled up?" She asked me, eyeing me from head to toe.

"I'm…going to meet May and go to the movies." I lied.

"You should be studying for your exam tomorrow," She told me matter-of-factly.

"Mom," I groaned, "Come on, I've been studying almost all day. I need a break. Seeing a good movie would be great. Please?" I begged.

She hesitated, sighing a bit, "I don't know…"

"I'll study all night afterwards when I get back," I quickly protested. It managed to get my mom's attention, "and do all the chores for an entire week."

"Really?" She exclaimed in disbelief.

"Really."

"Okay…but just remember to hold up your end of the bargain." She said.

I laughed, "No need to worry."

I walked up to the cinema and saw Kenny seated in one of the chairs beside the food counter. His leg was shaking and he seemed to be fumbling with his fingers. He was dressed in a blue T-shirt covered by a leather jacket and some pitch black jeans.

"Hey, Kenny." I smiled, walking up to him.

He quickly stood up and was about to speak, when he suddenly faltered. He then dropped his eyes from my face downwards before looking back up at me, "Wow. You…uhhh…"

I cocked my head to the side, curious, "What?"

"Nothing," He blinked, "It's just…" He trailed off, biting his lip, "You look…good," He breathed. He looked to the other side and he seemed to have slightly cursed himself.

Stifling a giggle, I said, "Thanks. You look nice too."

"Thanks," He said, placing his hands into his jeans pockets.

"So, what movie are we going to watch?"

"Well…I was thinking," He started as he began to look over the movie posters, "X-Men Apocalypse, Me before You or Finding Dorey," He said, then turned his direction towards me.

"Well, definitely not Me before You. I heard that has a tragic ending." I said, remembering seeing the trailers for that recently.

"Okay," He nodded, "Then its either Finding Dorey or X-Men Apocalypse."

I looked at him and smiled, "You can choose the movie."

Kenny slightly chuckled, "Nah. I invited you, you choose."

I blinked, "Are you sure?" I asked. If Kenny already planned what movie we were going to see together, I didn't want to seem insensitive or selfish and take that away from him.

"I'm positive. I really didn't have any idea what movie I wanted to see, anyways and I'm fine with anything." He shrugged.

I slowly walked towards the movie posters, looking back and forth at the two. After about two or three minutes, I turned around to Kenny and said, "I think Finding Dorey's good. Are you okay with that?"

"Of course I am," Kenny smiled, "It should be a good movie. I'll just go get the tickets and be right back." He said and I nodded before he made way to the counter.

Suddenly I heard two familiar male voices and turned around to see Gary and Drew. They were close towards the food counter and they seemed to be arguing about something. Curious, I walked over.

"Gary, I'm telling 'ya, this X-Men movie was directed by Bryan Singer!" Drew exclaimed, and he looked frustrated.

Before Gary could retort, I acknowledged myself, "Hey guys." I waved.

The two males looked at me at first in slight shock but then I was greeted with two warming smiles, "Hey Dawn, what are you doing here?" Gary asked.

"I'm here on a movie date with Kenny. What about you guys?"

"We're going to see X-Men Apocalypse." Drew stated, "And _somebody _here doesn't wanna believe that it was directed by Bryan Singer," He said, rolling his eyes at Gary. "It's always been directed by him!"

"I hate him," Gary muttered in annoyance.

"That's what you two are arguing about?" I scoffed in disbelief, "Wow, so mature." I said, every word dripping of sarcasm.

Gary just shrugged, "We are who we are. So, what movie are you and Kenny seeing?"

"Finding Dorey," I replied, "I hear it's really good."

The two boys nodded before the three of us heard another familiar male voice approach us. "Hey guys," Ash practically had his hand around Gary's and Drew's backs as he said that, "Just the three of us watching a good movie," He said. He didn't seem to notice my presence.

"Glad you could join us, Ashy boy," Gary remarked.

"And here I thought you were going to ditch us for Serena," Drew commented.

Ash partially groaned, "I had to lie to her and tell her that I had to help my mom with something. Luckily, she bought it." He said and then that was when he looked towards me. He raised his eyebrows and approached me.

"Fancy seeing you here," He said as he crossed his arms a bit arrogantly.

"Yeah. I'm here on a date." I said, mimicking the similar reaction he had just done.

"Yeah, speaking of which…who is the unlucky guy that decided to ruin his life by being your boyfriend?" He uncrossed his arms and placed his hands in his jeans pockets. My jaw had dropped at his insulting words while he was looking at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Excuse me! I'll have you know that he likes me very much!" I said, my fingers forming into fists as I practically shot him daggers.

Instead of giving me a worded reply, he just chuckled in delight. My anger had now escalated to new heights. Here he was insulting me to no end, and to make it worse, he just seemed more and more amused at my reactions. Oh, Arceus, how much I loathed him.

Gary and Drew looked towards us and to my surprise, they seemed to be wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, as if hinting something towards me. I rolled my eyes and now I was wondering what was taking Kenny so long.

"Excuse me, could you tell me where the restrooms are?" We all whipped our heads towards the source of the voice, and judging Ash's expression now, I could tell he was far from pleased to see Serena by the counter. In fact, he seemed to be angry, confused and just a little bit scared all at once.

"Oh shit, this isn't good." Gary commented.

"Do you think she noticed you, Ash?" Drew asked.

"I don't know, Drew. I hope not. You know what, you guys stay here and I'll go get the tickets over there, that'll probably be a good way to hide from Serena here anyway," He said, to which the two boys nodded.

However, as Ash walked away, I nearly burst out in laughter, when Serena turned around from the counter and noticed Ash, "Ash!" The honey-blonde called out before she walked up towards a groaning Ash. I turned to see Drew and Gary face-palming.

"Well, looks like he's fucked." Gary said, sighing.

"Let's just go get the tickets and the popcorn," Drew suggested before looking at me, "See you around, Dawn."

I nodded, "Later,"

I looked towards Serena and Ash and slightly chuckled and grimaced simultaneously seeing an argument forming between the couple. I almost felt sorry for Ash, but then I thought he probably deserved it anyhow. I would never understand their so called relationship.

To my relief, I saw Kenny approaching towards me with the tickets in his hand and some popcorn, "Sorry I took so long, the line was really long," He said in exasperation. "What'd I miss?"

I glanced towards the couple and noticed Ash face-palming while Serena looked ready to burst in flames, "Eh, nothing much. C'mon the movie's gonna start soon," I said and grabbed Kenny's free hand and ignored the blush that appeared on his cheeks as we made way into the movie theatre.

We managed to get front-row seats and I could notice everybody in the dark theatre wearing their 3D glasses. I glanced towards Kenny beside me and giggled a bit.

"What?" He looked towards me.

"Nothing, it's just, you look kind of funny in 3D glasses," I giggled a bit more.

"Oh yeah, well let's see how you look with them on," He said.

I rolled my eyes, "Alright." I said and put the glasses on, then looked towards me, "How do I look?"

Kenny stifled a laugh, and I could notice how he was mocking me, "What?"

"You look kind of funny in 3D glasses," He said and I pursed my lips in slight annoyance before lightly punching him on the arm. "Just kidding. You look great."

My heart warmed at the comment, "Thanks," I said shyly.

The movie had yet to start and so we were just watching some trailers for other upcoming movies when I noticed Ash and Serena coming in. Confused, I looked when they were walking down the aisle. And I groaned when they chose to sit behind the seats where we sat. I thought Ash was watching that X-Men movie with Drew and Gary.

"Seriously, Ash? Helping your mother is the lamest lie that I have ever heard of." I heard Serena say from behind me.

"I can't believe you're forcing me to watch this with you. I already had plans with the guys to watch another movie." Ash retorted.

"Then why'd you lie to me?"

"Because I knew you would have forced me to do something with you and besides, it's been a while since I hung out with Gary and Drew." I heard Ash say.

"Look, Ash, I'm your girlfriend, you should be giving me your time, you owe it to me anyway!"

"That doesn't mean I should neglect my friends!"

"Just keep your mouth shut and watch the movie!"

Wow. _Can you feel the love?_ I thought to myself as I reached for a handful of popcorn and threw it in my mouth. As I began chewing, I suddenly became self-conscious. Why did I feel as if Serena was staring at the back of my head for a good while?

"Dawn!"

I swallowed and then reluctantly turned my head around to see Serena and Ash, "Uhh…hey, guys."

"Ohh…" Serena narrowed her eyes, "So that's why you're here," She scowled at me before looking at Ash. "You're here to see Dawn, aren't you?"

I could tell Ash was rendered speechless, because just like me, I really couldn't comprehend her logic…that is, if she had any. Did she not notice Kenny and I lingering our fingers together?

"I'm Dawn's boyfriend, just so you know." Kenny turned towards them. "We're on a movie date,"

"Kenny's your boyfriend?" Ash asked incredulously. What the heck was that supposed to mean?

"I'm just going to take that as a compliment," He said sheepishly.

I just ignored the couple and now fixated my sole attention on the movie. For a good while, Kenny and I shared popcorn and as cheesy as it sounds, sometimes our hands would touch whenever we reached for the snack at the same time. We shared a few laughs every time something hilarious Dorey would say. I had to admit, I was really enjoying my time with Kenny and was thankful that he had asked me out.

Soon enough, the words 'intermission' was spelled out on the screen and some people headed out of the theatre. Kenny looked towards me, "So, you liking the movie so far?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I wonder what's going to happen next."

"Do you want anything?"

"No, what about you?"

"No, but I do have to use the bathroom," He admitted while getting up. "I'll be right back," He stated and I nodded before he walked out of the aisle to leave the theatre.

Curiously, I glanced behind me to see only Ash sitting behind me, "Hey, where'd Serena go?"

"Bathroom," He replied before taking out his phone and groaned, "Aww man, Drew's saying that the movie's awesome."

"The X-Men one?"

"Yeah," He nodded, "I can't believe I'm missing out on that!" He grumbled, before sitting back in his seat and sighing.

"C'mon, Finding Dorey's not bad." I protested.

"I didn't say it was. I think it's awesome, but I was just really hoping to hang out with Drew and Gary today. And Serena messed it up." He said, putting his phone back in his pocket. "So…why Kenny?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Why Serena?" I shot back, "I mean, clearly this relationship isn't even one sided. Why don't you just break up with her?!"

He sighed, "Look, it's…complicated, alright? You won't understand."

I frowned, "It can't be that complicated. It's obvious the both of you are miserable with each other, so it's better to just be relieved from the burden," I stated. However, he just hesitated to reply any single word to me.

"Fine, whatever, it's not like I care," I turned back and sat in my seat, crossing my arms.

"What's wrong?" Kenny asked as he sat down next to me, noticing my behaviour.

"Nothing," I replied, "Don't worry about it, okay?" I sent him a smile. He seemed suspicious. "I'm telling you, it's nothing." I assured him.

"Alright." He simply replied before turning his attention back to the screen above us.

* * *

"That movie was so awesome!" I heard Gary say to Drew as they exited from the theatre. Kenny and I were standing and talking about Finding Dorey.

"Another great work from Bryan," Drew said, putting his hands on his hips. He then looked towards me, "Hey, Dawn, how was the movie?" He asked, coming towards us, followed by Gary.

"It was great, Kenny and I were just talking about it." I said, matter-of-factly.

"Yeah. How was your movie?" Kenny asked.

"Awesome!" The two guys exclaimed, "I swear, this is one of Bryan's best movies." Drew said, "Hey…where's Ash?" He asked.

I shrugged, "He walked out of the movie theatre with Serena as soon as the movie ended. I haven't seen them since."

"He must have taken her home." Gary thought out loud, "Well, anyways, see you in school, Dawn. We have to go." He said.

"Okay, I have to go too," I said.

"Later, Dawn." Drew said and then he glanced at Kenny, "Oh and later, Kenny."

Kenny simply chuckled and waved them goodbye before looking at me, "So…thanks for agreeing for this movie night."

"No problem, it was really fun." I admitted.

And then there was the awkward silence again. Darn it, I really thought that we had managed to escape these. So, we just stood there, probably looking like a bunch of idiots standing in the middle of nowhere.

"So…" I managed to say, breaking the awkward tension.

Instead of replying, he suddenly changed expressions and leaned down capturing my lips with his. It was a chaste peck on the lips and only lasted for about a second. I did not expect that, especially with the awkward state we were just in. And if anything, it only made the awkward tension even worse when I just stood there, a slight pink rubbing my cheeks and trying to process what just happened here.

I had just had my first kiss. And it was with Kenny.

"So," Kenny coughed out. It looked like he was nervous this whole time, "Let's get you home."

Before I could reply, both of our phones had started to beep, signalling that we had received texts. Confused, I took out my phone, as did Kenny, and opened the message. I slowly crept up a smile and looked towards Kenny, who had a grin etched upon his features.

"The first competition starts in the next two weeks on Friday!" I stated.

* * *

**Just so you guys know, I haven't watched Finding Dorey yet and I really want to. If anybody can find a link online, please PM me, I've been dying to watch it.**

**Another filler chapter, but I don't think it was bad, because these filler chapters are needed for the story as well. **

**My birthday is also coming this month. It's July 24****th****, I'm pretty excited. I'm going to be 18 and it's going to be three whole years ever since I joined this site. You guys are awesome and it's been a fun and interesting ride so far.**

**So with that said, thank you for reading and don't forget to leave a review below. **** It really motivates me! I probably won't take too long to update, but hey, you never know.**

**See you next time!**


	14. Chapter 14: Time to Shine-Part 1

The clock ticked slowly as I glanced upon it, resting my elbow upon my desk and my palm against my cheek. I has just nearly finished my biology exam, after going through the multiple choice and true and false. I had briefly skimmed over the essay section and it was now that I was staring at the clock, thinking deeply about which topic I should do for my essay. Ten minutes had passed.

I looked around the class to notice Zoey and since she was seated next to me currently and she appeared to be writing, I guessed she must have been at the essay question. Gary had his pencil behind his ears and pursed his lips together, trying to think. I could see Drew laying at his desk, almost asleep. May seemed to have erased a few words as she began writing. Another ten minutes passed.

"You have forty minutes left!" bellowed Mr. Francis.

My eyes widened. _Shit, only forty minutes?! I have to start writing this essay…_ I picked up my pen, glanced over the topics and thought about them for a couple of seconds. After about five minutes, I chose the topic I was most comfortable with. And with that, I started to write my essay. Thirty minutes passed.

"You now have ten minutes remaining," Mr. Francis stated and I glanced upon the clock to notice that indeed, I did only have ten minutes left. There was only three people left – May, Barry and me. I finished the remaining of my essay and handed my paper in.

Sighing a breath of relief, I grabbed my backpack and headed out into the hallways. I went up to my locker, trying to open it, when I heard May from behind me.

"Hey, Dawn."

I turned around and smiled. "Hey. How was the exam?"

May shrugged, "It was okay, I guess. What about you?" She asked.

"I think I handled it," I said apprehensively. "I mean, hopefully I did. My mom wants me to get at least one A otherwise she's grounding me for almost two months! So, I really need this." I said. Last week my mom had basically stated that if I don't manage to get at least one A on these exams, she'd ground me. Deciding that I didn't want to get grounded, I tried my best in studying for these exams.

"Yikes," May grimaced, "Your mom's really strict."

"Yeah, she is. But, I don't want her any other way." I giggled.

"Hey guys!" We suddenly turned to see Barry running down the hallways to catch up to us. When he had approached us, Barry was out of breath and slightly bending his back downwards, trying to catch his breath.

"Breath, Barry, breath." May laughed.

"How," He coughed and then wiped his sweat, "How was the exam? Was it awesome? Hard? A piece of cake? Ugh I swear the hardest part about the exam was the multiple choice! I mean, the choices are really close and –"

"Can you slow down for just a minute?" I stopped him, refraining from laughing at his level of insanity. It was as if he was never breathless in the first place.

He suddenly sweatdropped anime style and scratched his blonde hair sheepishly, "Oops. I do that a lot. Sorry." He admitted.

"It's okay. But really, the exam was alright, I guess." I shrugged.

"Just alright? I need more facts, man!" Barry exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air. I could see May giving him a weird look.

"What do you mean?" May asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean, was it alright, like 'Eh, I handled it,' or alright like, 'Oh my gracious, I failed, I couldn't do it' or alright, like-"

"The first one! It was definitely the first one!" I interrupted him, stifling a giggle. I was amazed at how hyper Barry was.

He crossed his arms, "Okay. I guess I can work with that. So, did you guys sign up for the school dance competition?"

"Yeah," May replied, "We're pretty excited. Are you entering this year, Barry?"

He smirked as he pumped a fist into the air, "Of course I am! This year, I'm going to go all the way and maybe one day, I can finally beat Ash!" He grinned as his eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Good luck with that. Dawn's planning to beat Ash too." May said matter-of-factly.

His eyes suddenly changed expression as he looked towards me, "Really? Wow." He said, his tone full of astonishment, "Hm." He said as he rubbed his chin with a finger, "Well…you are a pretty good dancer…and you have that style. So, maybe you _can _beat him."

I was taken aback at his sudden compliment, "Thanks, Barry." I smiled.

"In fact, if you don't beat him…then I'll have to fine you!" He exclaimed. I raised an eyebrow. I looked at May expectantly, who was face-palming.

"Barry, you and your fining thing is getting really old." She sighed in exasperation, making Barry chuckle a little. I guessed that this was a normal trait for Barry.

All Barry did was chuckle. "Well, I'll see you in dance later, okay?"

We both nodded, "Sure." I beamed.

* * *

"Yeah! Keep stretching those legs and arms. You all have to be flexible and strong enough to compete in the dance competition." Our instructor exclaimed as she kept walking around the room.

We were currently doing warm up exercises to strengthen our bodies. Every day, we would stretch our legs, arms and to add to that, we had the option of mixing it up a little by adding our own strenuous warm up routines. Ms Smith, our dance instructor, wanted to ensure that all of the dance club members were prepared mentally and physically for the competition coming up next week.

Almost two months had passed ever since I came to Unova…and a whole lot had happened. It was currently in the mid October and as I glanced around the room, I began to think how my life turned out to be. Never would I have thought that I would be pursuing my goal of dancing, or having a secret boyfriend from my mom or even have met amazing and supportive friends.

"Dawn."

I looked up to see Ms Smith, smiling in my direction. "Oh. Hey, Ms. Smith." I greeted.

"Have you done your warm ups?" She asked.

"Yeah." I nodded, then I realized that I had completed my warm up routine a long while ago when I began contemplating about my life.

"Okay, good. Now, Dawn, from my perspective, I believe that you're a great dancer. You have a lot of potential." She started. My eyes started to gleam with excitement and passion from the kind words that I received.

"Wow, thanks, Ms. Smith! I'm really hoping to win the competition this year. I want to beat Ash more than ever!" I stated and she stared at me in curiosity for a while, before she lightly chuckled.

"You're determined. I like that." She said. "But I'm afraid that your priorities are mixed up." She said vaguely.

I blinked. "Mixed up? What do you mean?" I asked.

She let out a sigh and then looked towards me. "Dawn, I know that you want to beat Ash and become the dancing legend. But, beating Ash should not be your goal." She started. "You shouldn't be so solely fixed on beating him that you forget your true aim. Your true aim," She said, while putting her hands on my shoulders, "is to enjoy every step...every move...and every beat along the way." She finished.

I looked at her in awe. Have I been going about this the wrong way all this while?

"You know, I think, that's why Ash hasn't been beaten yet. Because everyone is so determined to beat Ash, but they don't know that, that shouldn't be their one true priority." She added. "They forget what dancing is, they forget about the passion and excitement one gets from dancing. They forget about their own potential." She said.

I looked at her. I mentally agreed with her. I've been so concentrated about defeating Ash, and nothing else.

"You won't do that, right?" She asked. I smiled.

"I won't. I'm just going to focus on practicing my dancing techniques for the competition next week and being my best." I stated proudly.

"Good. And if you do _that_, then you'll feel proud when you win…not when you beat Ash." She said. My heart warmed.

"Thank you, Ms. Smith. I really appreciate it." I smiled. She nodded and walked away to talk to the other dance members.

She was right. If I'm going to win, I'd have to do it _my _way. And I'd have to do it, the best I can.

* * *

"Okay, see you later May." I said, waving off to May as she headed off to the other direction. It was now after one in the afternoon and I was officially tired. After Ms Smith's advice, we all had been practicing our dance moves individually for the competition. Each person had to do a demonstration to show to us as a sort of sneak peek for what was to come in the competition. We'd stayed there for about two hours and I would say that, without a doubt, that I have strong competition, not only from Ash, but from everybody, even May. She was an exceptional dancer. She just had something in her whenever she moved her body with that much intensity and grace.

"Dawn wait," I heard a voice say and when I turned around, I saw Kenny heading in my direction.

"Hey Kenny, what's up?" I asked.

"I was just wondering if you wanted a ride home." He said. I raised an eyebrow. Kenny didn't have a car and he always went home thanks to the bus.

"Um, are you going to walk me home?" I asked.

"Nope. I have a ride." He said, slowly grinning. I cocked my head in curiosity. What kind of ride did he have?

"Don't bother, Kenny." I whipped my head to the left to see Ash. "I'll take her home in my awesome, black Mercedes." He said with a knowing smirk stepping up to me. I could see Kenny with a frown on his face.

I gave my direction towards Ash, "You know Ash, I'd appreciate it if you'd stay out of my business. And besides, I didn't even give my answer to Kenny."

He rolled his eyes, "Really? You're actually rejecting my ride home? I don't know what kind of ride he has," He said as he looked towards Kenny with disgust, "but I doubt it's better than mine." He boasted proudly. Kenny was starting to get annoyed.

"It's Dawn's choice." Kenny spat suddenly, "And I'm so tired of you always thinking you're better than everyone else just because of the things you have." He retorted towards Ash, who now had a surprised look on his face.

"Dawn, just come with me." He said, not removing his gaze from Kenny.

I shook my head, "I'm sorry, Ash. I can't." That's when he fixated his gaze on me. "Kenny is my boyfriend. Sure, he may not have a fancy ride like you, but he does have a nice heart. And I'll take that over your ego any day." I said and I saw Kenny's lips lift upwards into a soft warming smile.

"Thanks, Dawn." He said. I turned towards Kenny and gave him a light smile before we started to walk forward.

I don't know why, but as Kenny and I were walking out of the school, I turned back around to see Ash with a frown and a somewhat hurt expression on his face.

Why was he so confusing?

* * *

"This is my ride." Kenny said as he pointed. In front of my eyes, was a beautiful brand new motorcycle. I gasped in excitement.

"Kenny!" I turned towards him, "This is amazing! When did you get this?" I asked in astonishment.

"I just got it last night. My parents sort of gave it to me once they had enough money in their hands." He said.

"Wow, that's great! I'm so happy for you." I reached out and hugged him. To my surprise, he was tense and I could feel his breath hitch. He refused to return the hug and I was slightly shocked. I pulled away.

"Is something wrong?" I asked. He bit his lip and then sighed.

"Is…is there something going on?" He asked a bit vaguely and then he added, "Between you and Ash?"

I immediately shook my head and waved my hands in a defensive manner, "No! There's nothing going on! I don't even like Ash." I said.

"Because, I see the way he looks at you." He started. "Dawn, I don't know if it's true but I think he may like you."

I blinked. Ash having feelings for me? That was next to impossible. "He couldn't possibly like me."

"Why not? I mean, we all know Ash's unstable relationship with Serena. And with all the clues, like him offering you rides and the way he was looking at you when you were dancing with him, and plus he's your neighbour now so…"

I saw Kenny with an unfamiliar expression. It wasn't something I was used to. I never thought I'd see Kenny like this. "Are you jealous? Because you have no reason to be."

"I'm not jealous. I'm just…observant." He shrugged, "And I just want you to know that." He said.

I reached out and held his hand, "Kenny, ever since I met Ash, I have always loathed him. I never liked him because he always thinks he's better than everyone else. And I really can't handle that much ego." I stated and Kenny licked his lips.

"Well, feelings can change." He suddenly said.

I ignored his comment and said, "Trust me, I don't like Ash and I never will." I said, "the only person I began to like is you." I said. While that was true, I couldn't deny that I found Ash to be really attractive. Any girl, even me, couldn't deny that fact, but I refused to tell Kenny. Kenny was really an amazing guy and with the past month of being his girlfriend, I realized that he truly was the perfect guy for me.

He smiled, "Alright." He said and then reached out to cup my cheek softly and placed a sweet and tender kiss upon my lips. This kiss was slow and full of passion and I found myself closing my eyes and kissing him back. He deepened it and snaked an arm around my waist while I put my arms around his neck. Before we knew it, we had become breathless and that was our key to pull away.

"Come on," He said and strapped his helmet on. He brought his legs around the motorcycle to sit on it and I sat behind him. He started the bike and I heard the engine roar off before he headed towards the road.

* * *

When I had reached home, I had seen Ash pull up in his black Mercedes and I had avoided him. My mom wasn't home currently, as she had gone out looking for a job. For the past hour I began to strategize my dancing moves and what type of dance I would perform for the first competition.

"Okay, now if I do this…" I said, while twirling my foot around managing to do a spin, "and then maybe this," I said as I cartwheeled across the floor, "and finish off with this…" I exclaimed as I did a moonwalk and then put my hands on my hips, striking a pose.

I then scowled, thinking that these were ridiculous, "Ughh no! Come on, Dawn, you can do better than this. If you want to win, you have to think big! And you have to do your best!" I said, as if scolding myself before I began to strategize of other dance moves.

Another half hour had passed and just as I was about to finish my dance with the splits, the doorbell rang. I quickly walked and opened the door, "Hey mo –" I stopped myself when I realized it wasn't my mom, but Ash.

I looked at him in disbelief, "What are you doing here?" I said as I glanced towards the clock, "It's 8."

"I need to hide. Can I hide somewhere here?" He asked. I bulged my eyes out in shock.

"What do you mean?"

"Serena." He said. He was practically begging with his eyes.

I rolled my eyes, "Fine. But this is the first and last time I'll do this." I said as I allowed him to enter inside.

"Cool." He said and then he ran towards the kitchen, looking for an appropriate hiding spot. I giggled to myself as I sat down, flipping through a magazine.

The doorbell rang for the second time and I looked towards the door. "That could be Serena, do not sell me out!" I heard Ash yell. I sighed to myself when I walked towards the door. _Get ready to face your wrath. _

I opened the door and instead of seeing Serena, I was slightly shocked seeing my mom, "Mom!"

"Hello to you too," My mom said as she came inside. She slightly laughed at my expression as she placed her purse on the dining table.

"Sorry, I wasn't expecting you." I said sheepishly.

"Well, you never are," She rolled my eyes resulting in me laughing, "but I do have some good news." I eyed her in expectation, "I got a job." She said as she smiled.

I placed my palm against my mouth in sheer excitement and my blue eyes filled with joy. I then removed my palm, "Mom that's amazing!" I said as I reached out and hugged her. I was truly happy and I could tell my mom was too.

"Yeah." She said when we released, "I got it at a hair salon. I'm going to be helping around with doing people's hair, nails and other stuff." My smile grew bigger when I heard that. When my mom was a teen, she had always wanted to open her own beauty salon, but sadly it never happened.

"That's amazing, mom. I'm really happy for you." I said.

"Thank you sweetie." She said, "I'll be working on Monday from early morning up till five. So I'll be home every night." She said. I nodded. "So, I'll be there to keep an eye on you every night so you don't misbehave." She said jokingly and I refused the urge to roll my eyes.

"So, anyways, let's celebrate!" She said. "How about some baked chicken?" She suggested. I gasped. Mom's baked chicken was just heaven.

"Of course!" I said.

"Okay, I'll go make it and in the meanwhile, you can start your homework because I know you haven't done it as yet." She winked as she headed towards the kitchen.

I laughed, "Actually I already did it-" I then widened my eyes. The kitchen! I totally forgot that Ash was hiding in the kitchen.

I quickly ran towards the kitchen and told my mom, "Hey mom, uhh, I forgot. I wanted to…show you something," I quickly blurted out. My mom could not find out about a hiding Ash in the kitchen. She'd get the wrong idea.

"What is it?" She asked.

I thought for a second and said, "My homework!" I said, "Yeah, I really need to confirm if what I've done is correct." I said and then grabbed my mom's arm without any warning and pulled her into the living room.

She slightly laughed, "Okay, but be quick, alright?" She said and I nodded before I pulled out a notebook and handed it to her. She began to check the problems and while she was doing so, I was wondering if Ash knew that the coast was clear to hide somewhere else for the time being.

"I'm going to get a glass of water." I said as I walked to the kitchen again. I quickly opened up the cupboards and looked behind the fridge and stove to see where Ash was hiding, but to my surprise, he wasn't anywhere in the kitchen. This was weird.

"Dawn, are you finished?" My mom called from the living room.

I nearly flinched, "Yeah. I'm just really thirsty." I said, without thinking. Confused as to where Ash was, I put that thought at the back of my head temporarily as I walked back to the living room.

"What's wrong, Dawn? You seem a bit worried." She said. I felt horrible on lying to my mom so much times, but I had no other choice.

"It's nothing, mom. I'm just a bit worried about my first dance competition next week Friday." It wasn't a total lie, I was a bit tensed about it. I had my mind set on ensuring that I do my best and show my true potential towards the whole school.

"Dawn," she started, "you don't need to worry. You'll be fine. You've been practicing all week now at school and after school as well. I'm sure you'll do well."

"Yeah I know, but I still need to perfect them." I told her.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." My mom said, making me smile. "Now, come on, I'll make dinner. I already checked your homework." She said and I nodded as she headed off into the kitchen, leaving me and my thoughts of the sudden disappearance of Ash behind.

* * *

It was currently after nine and I had just gone into my room, starting to practice again. Exhaling a bit, I attempted to do a jump gracefully in the air and then landing perfectly on the ground. Unfortunately, I stumbled when I did the landing so I attempted it again.

I stopped when I heard a knock. I glanced towards the door. It was open.

I glanced around the room. Another knock. The knock seemed to be coming from inside the room. When I heard the knock again, I realized it was coming from inside my cupboard. Gulping, I daringly took a small step towards it. I opened the doors and I stepped back to let out a scream but before I could, Ash quickly covered my mouth.

"What are you doing, you want us to get caught?!" He whispered as he gave me a crazed look, with his palm on my mouth. My eyes were widened. I hadn't expected, of all places, that Ash was in my closet. My heart had nearly jumped out of throat when I saw him, in fact.

He removed the palm and I quickly clised the door. I looked at him. "Okay...why were you in my closet?!" I tried not to yell at the top of my voice to avoid my mom finding out that Ash was in my room.

"When your mom came in, I panicked. So, before any one of you saw me, I just came into a room and hid into a closet. I didn't know it was your room." He explained.

"So you've been in my closet for the past hour or so?" I asked in disbelief.

"Of course not," he scoffed in reply, "when I realized that the coast was clear for now, I came outside and watched a few shows on TV. Then, I heard someone coming up so I went back to the closet." He said. I rolled my eyes in response. I couldn't believe he used my TV.

"Well, Serena never showed up, so you can stop hiding from her now and go home." I stated as I reached for my closet and took out a nightgown.

"I was never hiding from Serena." He suddenly said.

I turned around, "What? You just said-"

"There was no Serena. She was never looking for me and I wasn't hiding from her." He said and I could see his lips curve upwards into a smirk.

"Then...why did you..." I trailed off, finding myself at a loss of words.

"I wanted to see you." My eyes widened at that. He wanted to see me? I could barely believe it. "And I was only hiding from your mom because I know how strict she is." He added.

Suddenly, the tension was thick. I had no idea why, but I found my heart beating and the air getting thinner. Ash's gaze was set towards me and he had made it very difficult to avert my gaze. His black hair was messed up in a good way and that opened button on his blue collared shirt revealed a bit of his chest. He had every feature of perfection on his gorgeous and attractive face.

I had to stop myself before I went too far. Sure, Ash was pretty attractive but I had to to remind myself that I couldn't cross my limit. And that limit was Kenny.

"Well, I think you should go. I don't want my mom finding out you're here." I said. He seemed reluctant at first but then he sighed and nodded.

"I just have one question for you." He said. I raised any eyebrow.

"Do you _really _like Kenny?" He asked. Out of all the possibilities of the questions I thought he'd asked, I'd never imagine he'd ask this one.

I found myself fumbling against my words, "He's the perfect guy for me."

"I didn't ask that. I asked if you like Kenny." He stated as he crossed his arms.

"Why do you care?"

He shrugged. "Curiosity."

"Well okay, then why are you with Serena?" I shot back. He gave me an irritated look.

"Why do you keep asking me that?" He spat.

"Why are you so curious about Kenny?"

He sighed. "I just am, okay? Besides, I don't really think Kenny is your type." He shrugged.

"This coming from the guy with a weird relationship with a girl who he doesn't even like." I retorted. "And don't be so quick to judge, okay? I told you to stop meddling around with me and Kenny." I said

Ash had a still and neutral expression until he sighed. "Fine. I don't ask you about Kenny and you don't ask about me and Serena." He demanded.

I nodded. "Deal."

"I guess I'll go now." He said as he approached my window. He unlocked it.

"Wait!" He stopped to look at me.

I licked my lips. "Why did you want to come to see me? And why'd you lie?"

"I just...wanted to see you." He admitted with a shrug. "And I lied to you because if I had told you the truth, you wouldn't have let me in." He said. I nearly gasped and I was slightly hurt he would think that low of me.

"What? That's not true." I protested.

He lightly chuckled, "Dawn, you and I both know that's a lie. I know you don't approve of me and my ego." He said. Well he did have a point.

"But you also can't deny that I'm hot." He winked. Without warning, I felt my cheeks burning.

"No, I don't!" I denied.

"Sure," he said sarcastically, "you were practically drooling at me earlier." He said with a full smirk on his lips. I was sure that the blush was evident on my cheeks now.

"Was not. I was staring at how ridiculous you look." I hopelessly lied. He shook his head in amusement.

"Always in denial, eh?" He chuckled again while supporting himself on the window still. "Later, Dawn." He said and I closed the window when he was out of sight. My heart had now began to beat normally and I let out a breath I didn't even realize I was holding.

Kenny's words came back to my mind. Did Ash really like me?

Not coming to a conclusion, I decided to call May for advice. I sat in my bed while it rang. It rang about four times before she picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, May." I greeted.

"Hey Dawn, what's up?" She asked in a cheerful voice.

"Listen, I need your opinion about something." I started to say.

"Shoot."

I laid down on my bed, getting comfortable as I stretched my legs out. "May...I want your honest opinion. Do you think there's a possibility that Ash...likes me?"

There was a moment of silence before she replied. "Ash likes you?!" She exclaimed in excitement. I face-palmed.

"May! I'm not saying he does but..." I trailed off. "Do you think he does?"

"Hmm," she managed to say, "I'm not sure, Dawn. Ash is really confusing after all." She said. I nodded, even though she couldn't see me. "But I'll tell you this: I'm sure he likes you better than Serena." She pointed out. "But, why are you asking me this?"

I sighed, "Because Kenny thinks he likes me."

"He's jealous?" She questioned.

"He said he's observant."

"Okay..." she said, "Well, let me ask you this. Do _you _think he likes you?" She asked intelligently.

I twirled my hair in between my fingers. Sighing I said, "I don't know. He makes everything seem so confusing. At one point, he's insulting me and then offering me rides. He's just really complicated." I explained.

"Okay," she said, "I understand. But...do _you_ like him?"

My breath suddenly hitched. I stopped twirling my hair. It was a question that I had never thought of, but I automatically replied, "No. Of course not. You of all people should know that."

"Then why did you hesitate to answer?" She probed.

"I don't know, okay?!" I let out a frustrated yell. Sighing, I continued, "I can't deal with this right now. I need to focus on my dancing."

"Yeah...you can deal with the boy troubles later on." May suggested.

I nodded, "Yeah. Thanks, May. I'll talk to you later."

"Anytime." She responded. "Later."

* * *

Friday arrived sooner than I had anticipated. I found myself blowing out a nervous breath. Currently, I was backstage of the school auditorium, trying to get myself together. I was dressed in a checkered blue t-shirt with some black leggings. Some eyeliner and blue eye shadow was applied on my face, accompanied with some very light pink lipstick.

Tonight was the first round of the school dance competition. As far as I know, all the dance members would be participating and whoever manages to impress the judges advances to the second round. In the first round, you were able to perform any type of dance you desire.

I peeked towards the auditorium. I slightly gulped. It wasn't a full house but the number of people here was enough for me to flinch in worry.

_Relax, Dawn. You've done this plenty of times. No need to worry. The only difference is tbat you're going to be performing in front of a slightly larger crowd._

I lifted my lips up in a slight smile. It was my time to shine.

* * *

**Hey guys! I gave you guys a reasonably long chapter today. Why?**

**Because it's my birthday! Yup that's right, I'm 18 now so happy birthday to me! Yeah I'm pretty excited although I don't really feel like an adult. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. The competition will continue in the next chapter. There's a lot more to come around for this story, so stick around. **

**Hope you guys have a good day, because I plan to do something awesome for my birthday. See you guys next time!**


	15. Chapter 15: Time to Shine-Part 2

**Hey guys. I'm here with another update! Yeah I know I don't update consistently but I'm pretty much busy with life itself that I don't really get that much time to write anymore. But hey, I am never abandoning any of my stories and if you guys can wait a couple of months, then I really appreciate that. :)**

**Enjoy this chapter, because it's finally time for the first part of the competition.**

* * *

"Welcome one and all to Unova High's dancing competition!" Marian, the MC, spoke through the mic with high enthusiasm. "This competition is a blast every year and I'm sure this year will be no different. Let me go over the details. There are five rounds in total. At the end of the competition, the winner will receive various prizes and will be awarded with the title 'The Dancin' Legend'. Tonight's the first round of the competition: Freestyling! Each competitor will have the option of performing their own dance style. You will be judged on style, flow, coordination, grace and movement. So, are we ready?"

I heard the audience cheering as a response, and that included my own mother. I smiled from backstage.

"Okay, let's hear from our judges," Marian said as she gestured to the left three judges seated. "First up, Nurse Joy!"

A light was illuminated on her and she smiled. "I'm looking forward to the competition and I can't wait to see the amount of talent that Unova High has."

"I bet the contest will be remarkable!" The male judge said enthusiastically.

"Good luck to all of you and may the best win," the final female judge commented.

Marian started to give more details and I eventually tuned her out because I was trying to get a hold of myself. No doubt, I was nervous despite the fact that I had practiced my dance routine over a hundred times and I had polished my moves to perfection.

"Dawn?"

I turned around to the familiar voice. My eyes wavered to the person's outfit, causing me to grin silly. Kenny was wearing some light blue capri pants and a yellow checkard shirt covered with a black vest. "Nice outfit, Kenny," I giggled, my nervousness diminishing within a few seconds.

He only ignored my comment but still smiled. "You look great. Are you ready?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I sure am." I licked my lips and then cocked my head. "Aren't you worried that I might beat you?"

Kenny shrugged. "It's just a school competition, nothing to be worried about. I won't break up with you if you beat me," he added with a smirk and I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, would you two stop flirting already?" I heard May say, as she approached towards us and she had a slight smirk graced upon her lips. She was wearing a long black skirt and a white crop top that had the words 'Baby' imprinted upon it. Her brown hair had been adorned with white flowers in the midst of it, instead of the usual bandana she'd always wear.

"May! You look amazing," I told her.

May instantly blushed. "Thanks, Dawn. So do you. You wouldn't happen to be dressing up for your boyfriend, wouldn't you?"

I only rolled her eyes at her teasing comment and I noticed Kenny's cheeks tinge with a slight pink. May giggled at our embarrassment. "Anyways, are you guys ready?"

"Yeah, I can't wait!" I said.

Kenny shrugged. "I guess so." I smacked his arm lightly at his lack of excitement.

"Oh!" May suddenly exclaimed, "Dawn, I have news!" she said excitedly as she pulled me towards her and we ventured to the corner, leaving Kenny behind.

"What is it?" I asked her.

May couldn't contain her grin and squeal as she said, "Drew asked me to be his girlfriend!"

I instantly smiled at the news and embraced May. "That's great, May. I'm so happy for you guys."

"I know and it's unbelievable that just a few months ago, I couldn't bear anything about him. He constantly teased me and flipped his hair arrogantly, but he just does it because he really likes me. It's really funny how relationships work. I mean, there are so much couples that are drained of love or trust, you know?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Where's this coming from?"

"I'm just saying that it's funny how things work out sometimes. There are people in a relationship with who they don't even want to be with or love and there are some people who don't even realize that the one in their life could be right under their nose," May emphasised. I gulped a little and glanced back at Kenny. He took out his phone and appeared to be reading a text.

I thought about what May said. Sure, I did like Kenny but…do I _want _to be with him?

I shook my thoughts away. I couldn't think about that right now.

A hand touched my shoulder and I turned around to face Kenny. "Hey, I'll be right back, I just gotta talk to someone really quick. I'm one of the persons going up early on stage, so you might only see me when I'm up there."

I nodded. "No need to worry, good luck!"

He smiled. "You too. Do you want a ride home afterwards?"

My eyes softened at his suggestion. Kenny was so selfless, understanding and sweet. Despite all of those qualities, I was doubting our relationship. But the question is why? "Sure. Thanks, Kenny. You're really sweet," I said, smiling.

Kenny shrugged. "Well if you wanted to walk home, I guess you could do that," he said jokingly and I playfully knocked his arms, giggling and May laughed as well.

Kenny grabbed my hand and pulled me towards him and we were impossibly close. He leaned down and touched his lips gently with mine while caressing my face lovingly. His lips were soft against mine and suddenly grew passionate and I had to suppress a moan. He pulled back, staring in my eyes.

"What was that for?" I asked, breathlessly.

He shrugged. "Good luck?"

I laughed lightly and he pecked my lips once more before stepping back from me a little. "I'll catch you later," he said and I bid him goodbye with a wave of my hand.

I looked back at May, who was texting someone. "Who are you texting?"

"Drew. While you guys were making out, Drew told me that he's going up first," she replied, with a smirk on her lips.

I scoffed. "As if you've never had any lip action with Drew. Where is he, by the way?"

"He must be getting ready. After all, he is the first to perform." May replied. I nodded in understanding.

Footsteps were heard from behind me and May and I turned around to see who had appeared behind us. We both smiled to see the rest of the club members, Gary, Misty, Zoey, and a few other members as well.

"Are we late?" Misty directed the question towards us. Misty and I weren't that close but I did consider her to be a friendly acquaintance.

"Nah. It's about to start soon. You all look great, by the way!" I said. Misty blushed a little and I noticed Gary pop the collar of his black shirt a bit arrogantly. Zoey scoffed in annoyance at Gary's tactics.

"Thanks," Gary said smugly while Misty rolled her eyes.

"Guys! Look!" May said, as she pointed towards the TV screen above us, "It's starting! And Drew's gonna perform first," she said happily, with an excited gleam in her blue eyes.

Everyone directed their attention towards the monitor above us and as Marian was about to introduce Drew on stage, I briefly noticed one of our club members missing.

"Hey guys, where's Ash?"

"Shh!" May said, placing a finger on her lip and slightly glaring at me. "Now is not the time," she said as she watched the screen again. I rolled my eyes and lightly smiled at May, and just decided to sit back and give my full attention to the monitor screen and forget about the question asked a few minutes ago.

"And our first performance will be from Drew Hayden! Please give him a warm welcome!" Marian said, and after the audience roared with applause, the curtains were pulled to reveal Drew walking confidently to the center of the stage. He was wearing a red T-shirt with grey skinny jeans accompanied with a bright tennis.

"Good luck, Drew," Nurse Joy remarked and Drew smiled. "What are you going to be performing?"

He scratched the back of his head. "It's a mix of different dance styles, really," he said sheepishly.

"Well, show us what you've got, Drew."

The lights dimmed for a second and for a second, nothing but black was displayed on the TV screen, until a spotlight illuminated on the chartreuse teen for a while. It was quiet for a while, keeping us and the audience in suspense…until Drew pulled out a hat seemingly from thin air, placed it on the top of his head covering his green hair and turning around while popping his right arm into the air, all in one swift motion. That got the audience and the rest of us excited.

"That's my man," Gary commented.

Music echoed through the stage and Drew began pumping his legs to the beat of the music and he turned around, giving a charming smile to the audience. It seemed as if some people were mesmerised by the sight of him as he constantly popped his chest and arms in a forward motion. Then he grabbed black sunglasses and placed them upon his green eyes, while moving to the music. He surprised us a little when he moonwalked while straightening his arms.

The dance performance continued with a little more popping and locking, some occasional winks towards the audience and it ended when he pulled out a red rose from nowhere and threw it to a random girl at the audience. He turned around, showing his back to the audience while raising his fingers up for a peace sign, and the crowd went wild.

"Wow, what a performance from Mr. Hayden! Judges, your thoughts?" Marian directed over to the panel of judges.

"Remarkable!"

"Excellent as always, Drew. This competition sure is going to be tough."

"I will add to that by saying that Drew has always been able to demonstrate fantastic skills and movement and he's not failed this performance either. Though, I recommend another dancing style, one that doesn't involve a popping and locking feel," Nurse Joy said, and Drew's face fell slightly but he quickly composed himself.

"Thank you," he said before waving to the audience.

"Oh my gosh, Drew was amazing!" May said from beside me.

"I can't argue with that," I admitted. Drew was sure enough, tough competition. Could I even be compared to someone with skills like those? Of course I had witnessed Drew perform many times before, and each one of them showed true potential but this one displayed perfection in my eyes.

"Yeah, Drew is great at dancing!" Zoey exclaimed, "he's really tough competition, though."

"Yeah," Misty said, "and so is Ash and Gary," she added.

Gary smirked at that comment. "Afraid you're gonna lose, Waterflower?"

She crossed her arms in annoyance. "Please. I could defeat you with both of my hands tied behind my back," she said confidently.

"We'll just see about that." Gary's smirk widened.

Soon enough, I had noticed Drew approaching us with a big smile and his eyes were directed towards May, probably with the intention of talking to her first unsurprisingly. However, before that could happen, someone accidentally collided into Drew, resulting both of them falling to the ground with a loud thud.

May immediately sprinted over to where Drew was, with a worried expression on her face and we all flinched at the chartreuse and blonde sprawled on the floor. I suppressed a small laugh.

"What the hell, Barry?!" Drew exclaimed in anger, rubbing his forehead.

"You need to watch where you're going!" The blonde pointed a finger accusingly to Drew, who rolled his eyes.

"I'm not the one running around crazily and crashing into people," he said as he stood up. May put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

He dusted his shoulders with the palm of his hand. "I'm alright," he said.

"You need to a pay a fine of ten thousand dollars for crashing into me! Pay up!" Barry said, as he motioned his hand towards Drew. I scoffed.

"Oh, Barry shut up!" Misty yelled and the blonde boy muttered as he crossed his arms.

"You were amazing out there," May said as she embraced Drew in her arms. He gave into the embrace and gave her his thanks before she said, "but I don't like what you did out there," she said.

He broke the hug and looked at her. "What?"

"You were flirting with a random girl. You gave her a rose! That's our thing!"

Drew simply chuckled at his girlfriend. "Cute."

May blushed a crimson red. "Don't flatter me, mister! We're going to have a serious talk about this," she said, glaring at him.

He gave her a dubious look. "Really? It was just part of the performance, 'ya know, it didn't mean a single thing, May."

"That's what they all say," she protested and Drew rolled his eyes and then placed a light kiss on her cheek.

"I love it when you get jealous," he whispered but it was loud enough for me to hear and I giggled when May blushed yet again.

"Ugh, enough of this love nonsense, who's next?" Barry questioned.

"I am!" Zoey replied, raising her hand.

My eyes widened slightly. "Really?" I gave her a smile and said, "Good luck!"

"Thanks, Dawn!" Zoey winked.

As Zoey made her way out on stage, I got a text from Kenny. I opened it up.

_Hey, I hope you can handle being without me. :( Sorry I'm taking a while, I'm just dealing with something. - Kenny_

I quickly typed a reply.

_No need to worry, I have May and the others to gossip to. :P And what are u doing, btw? - Dawn_

As Zoey quickly greeted the judges, all members directed their attention towards the screen. I couldn't wait to see her performance and hopefully, it would impress the audience and judges.

Zoey closed her eyes and crossed her arms and started to spin around with one foot out, in a circular motion and her expression remained totally neutral. We all remained with our eyes widened in awe as she continued spinning gracefully. I had never seen this graceful side of Zoey before and I had never expected my sporty and smart friend to present something like this to us.

The music suddenly shifted to a faster tune and like a bolt of energy, she quickly changed her neutral demeanour to a more upbeat and quirky style as she swayed her hips in a sporty fashion. She bent her knees a little and constantly pumped her arms while beating her chest out. She was doing a great job at making the performance exhilarating and capturing the audience's attention.

And, while her knees were bent forward, she fell down, her head reaching towards the floor while her chest was out and then she quickly propelled herself forward, effectively getting loud cheers and whistles from the audience. I know for sure, that everyone was amazed at the sight of her, not that I expected anything less from her anyways.

The performance ended when Zoey landed on her two knees, striking a hand straight into the air, a bit breathless over the performance.

"Wow," I breathed.

"Damn." Gary spoke.

"I know…that was spell bounding," Misty said, and May nodded.

"Yeah, Zoey may not look like it but she's one hell of a dancer alright," May said.

Before I could say anything, my phone vibrated.

_Just dealing with a family thing. – Kenny_

_Oh, okay. You better get here quick, we're already at the third performance and everyone is doing so well :D It's actually making me wonder if I'll be able to match their performance. – Dawn_

_For someone whose catchphrase is 'no need to worry', you sure do worry a lot. You'll be fine :) and I'll only take a few mins more b4 I come do my performance. I'm the seventh person to go up. - Kenny_

I smiled at Kenny's words. He was right; this was no time to be doubting myself.

_Ur right. Thanks, Kenny. I'm the tenth person to go up, so hurry up and come over here, do ur performance and watch me strut my stuff :p – Dawn_

I blushed a little when his reply came.

_Oh, don't worry I surely won't miss u shaking ur booty out there ;)_

I shook my head in amusement, when Zoey suddenly approached us. "Zoey! You were awesome!"

"Yeah, you totally rocked!" May added.

"Thanks guys," Zoey smiled, "the judges seemed impressed at my performance as well, they practically told me that I'm undoubtedly going to be moving on to the second round."

"Wow," Gary said, "you seriously got skills, Zoey. I'm a bit impressed."

"Only a bit?" She asked cheekily.

Gary rolled his eyes. "Wait 'till Ash performs, your socks will be knocked off and your dance will be nothing compared to him," he said.

"I do this for fun, not to beat Ash," she said, shrugging. At that, I wondered where Ash would be at this moment, considering it was a bit late.

"I wonder who's next to perform…" May said.

Drew shrugged, while I did the same. "I have no idea."

"I'll give you a clue. His name starts with 'B' and ends with 'arry'," Barry said jokingly to us and I lightly chuckled.

"Great, good luck Barry."

"Thanks, May!" He smiled at her. "Get ready to be amazed, guys 'cause I am going to blow your mind!" He exclaimed excitedly as he walked out on stage.

My phone rang suddenly and I placed it towards my ear. "Hey, mom."

"Dawn, when are you going up?" My mom asked me.

"I'm the tenth person, so you're gonna have to wait a little while longer," I told her and she sighed.

"Okay, I can't wait to see my little bunny perform," she said, probably with a cheeky smile on her face.

"Mom!" I exclaimed in annoyance. "Stop it with that nickname," I grumbled.

She lightly chuckled. "Good luck, dear. Oh and I think I see our neighbour Ms. Ketchum and her son pulling up," she said, "Ash, right?"

So Ash had finally arrived. "Wonder why they took so long. Ugh, rich people," I rolled my eyes.

"Dawn, that's not nice," my mother said in a warning tone.

"Whatever." I mused. "I'll see you out there mom."

"Bye dear and good luck!" I heard my mom say before the call ended.

Barry had yet to perform as he was still speaking to the judges, and I looked down at my phone, noticing the time. It was getting really late and I wondered how long it would take for Kenny to come back. Pursing my lips, I excused myself and decided to call Kenny.

"Hey Dawn, where are you going?" May asked, and all the other members glanced at me as well.

"I'm going to speak to Kenny, it's almost time for him to perform," I said, beginning to dial his number.

"But what about Barry? Aren't you going to watch him?" Zoey questioned.

I smiled. "I'm sure he'll do great! Just tell me how he does in case I miss it, okay?"

"Sure, no problem," Misty replied.

I gave a thankful smile to the members before walking to a near corner and placing the phone next to my ear. It rung for a couple of times before voicemail was heard. Sighing, I decided to call him again, but he refused to pick up. I gave Kenny about five missed calls before I gave up, frustrated.

Perhaps I was being ridiculous and consider the fact that he did mention that he was dealing with a family matter. Sighing, I decided to just wait for Kenny so I turned around to head back to the guys when-

"Dawn."

I stopped. Licking my lips slightly, I turned around.

"Hey, Ash."

The ebony haired male standing in front of me with a red T-shirt, covered by a leather jacket, white pants and red shoes, with a small smirk on his face, said, "I didn't expect that you'd be the first one I'd see when I go backstage."

I rolled my eyes. "Why are you so late anyways?" I asked, ignoring his comment.

"I was just dealing with something small," he said, shrugging his shoulders indifferently. "So," he added, taking a step closer to me, "are you ready to witness the dancin' legend on stage?"

I scoffed, unintimidated. "You won't be the legend for that long."

"Right. Well, we'll see what little miss Blue can do," he said, clear amusement on his face.

I had nothing but the look of determination. I stood there unfazed by him, as confidence built up in me like a fire.

Before anyone could say anything, I heard May's voice. "Dawn! Dawn!" I turned around to see May running up to me frantically, with a weird look on her face.

"What is it, what's wrong?" I asked worriedly.

May's expression changed to that of a choked laugh. "You'll never believe it! When Barry was performing, he accidentally tripped on his two left feet and landed on his face," she giggled.

I flinched slightly. "Is he okay?"

May rolled her eyes. "Yeah, he's fine but unfortunately with that accident, he's probably going to be eliminated from the competition," she said.

"Barry is always the first to get eliminated," Ash added, "It's sort of an ongoing trend, I guess."

"That sucks," I commented. "Wait, so that means it's time for the fifth performance!"

"Yeah," May said.

"Well now it's time for a small break, so don't go anywhere because we still have a bunch of performances coming up! I hope you all are enjoying the night so far!" Marian echoed through the mic and I sighed, a bit relieved. A break would be great right now.

"Ash? Ash?" I heard a voice say and I noticed Ash face-palming as Serena arriving backstage. She seemed to be searching for Ash. When she saw him, she looked a bit relieved. "There you are! Where were you, I thought we'd agree to meet up before you go backstage," she said, placing her hands on her hips. The honey blonde was wearing a sleeveless blue crop top, with some black leather leggings and black high heels. Her hair was placed neatly in a bun and her eyes were smeared with smoky eye-shadow and her lips had dark red lipstick.

"I forgot," Ash admitted sheepishly, but I could tell that was a lie to which Serena bought.

She rolled her eyes. Then, she looked towards May and I and lightly scoffed. I narrowed my eyes at her. What the hell was her problem?

"Why is it that whenever I talk to my boyfriend, you just happen to be there?" Serena commented, and truth be told it felt like she was snarling at me.

"I don't know, why is that you accuse me when I coincidentally happen to be with Ash?" I retorted back.

Serena growled and before she could yell profanities, May backed me up. "Dawn, you don't have to listen to someone like her," she said.

"Who asked you to butt in?" Serena yelled.

"Serena…stop," Ash suddenly spoke and to my surprise, he had an angered expression etched on his face as he pumped his fist and clenched his jaw. "That's enough, okay?" he said, in a warning tone.

Serena could only stare in shock at her boyfriend and she stepped up towards him. "No! Why is Dawn always with you?!"

His anger only increased. "Serena, stop acting like you're the most perfect girlfriend because you and I know both know you're not, so stop it with this shitty act of yours. And for the record, you don't need to accuse Dawn all the damn time, because there's a plausible reason why I talk to her. In fact there are plenty of reasons. First of all, we're in dance club together, we're neighbours, we're classmates, so of course engaging in a conversation with her is inevitable! And please for the love of God, you need to stop acting like a bitch." Ash spat.

To say that I was shocked was a vast understatement. I couldn't believe it. Ash actually…defended me. May's jaw had literally dropped at what she heard and apparently, the other guys had heard what Ash said as well when I noticed everyone else look at Ash in awe.

And meanwhile, Serena couldn't help the tears that started to form in her eyes. No doubt the fact that she couldn't believe that Ash had actually raged towards her, something which I believe he seldom did.

"Wha…how could you even say something like that? And, to me?" She managed to say, tears falling from her face. "I'm your girlfriend, Ash! I deserve to be treated with respect!"

"Respect?" He scoffed. "You wouldn't know the meaning of respect if it hit you in the face," he said.

I was flabbergasted. Never would I have thought I'd actually see the day Ash standing up for me and Serena in tears.

"Ash, don't do this to me! You know that you can't! You're being brainwashed by her," Serena said, pointing to me. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. "Why are you defending her? You're supposed to crush her in this competition, Ash!"

"Just shut the hell up, Serena." Ash said, popping a vein. "Not everything is about this competition," he muttered before he walked away angrily.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Serena yelled after him, running after him but not before looking at me. "This is all your fault," she glared at me.

"My fault?!" I exclaimed. "Excuse me, your royal highness but Ash is right. You need to get yourself together and look at who you really are. And when you realize who you are right now, trust me, you won't hate me or Ash or anyone else…you'll hate yourself."

Serena didn't remove her glare from me, but her eyes wavered a little before she continued running after Ash.

It was quiet, until Gary said, "You know, this is even more exciting that the competition, I have to admit."

I sighed. Unbelievably, it was true.

* * *

A few minutes later, the drama had died down and the performances resumed. To my relief, I had finally seen Kenny backstage just when he was about to perform.

"Hey you're finally here!" I said, happily.

"Yeah, sorry," he muttered, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I would've been here sooner but there was an emergency and I had to take a relative of mine to the hospital," he admitted.

"What? Why didn't you tell me anything?" I asked.

He shrugged. "It wasn't anything you needed to be worried about."

"Of course it is, you're my boyfriend and obviously I care about your family, one day I'm gonna-" I stopped myself short when I suddenly realized I was about to give him the implication that we were going to get married one day.

Kenny caught the blush on my cheeks to my embarrassment. "What was that?" He asked, clearly amused.

"Nothing." I breathed, then cleared my throat as I heard him chuckle a bit. "Anyways, you've got to get ready now, it's almost time for you to perform."

He nodded. "Yeah. Wish me luck," he said.

"Good luck."

"Not like that," he said.

I raised my eyebrow. "Then…"

He rolled his eyes and suddenly his lips were on mine. He had had caught me off guard so I stumbled a bit but Kenny secured me against him with his arms around my waist. We broke the kiss, and I saw Kenny with an innocent and cute grin on his face.

"That seem familiar to you?"

I giggled. "Maybe," I said.

He smiled. "I'll see you after my performance," he said as he ventured onto the stage.

I sighed happily. I was about to go catch up with the others who were on the far end when I caught sight of a phone placed on the desk beside me. It had a glittery pink phonecase and it seemed to be pretty expensive. I wondered who it belonged to. As I was about to inquire who it belonged to, the phone suddenly vibrated, shaking slightly. I couldn't help but glance at the screen.

Apparently the message was from someone under the name, 'My Boo'. The phone had a password put in place, but despite that I could still see the message on the lock screen as a notification.

_Yeah just give me a few mins, then we'll hang together later, babe ;)_

"Ugh, I think I forgot my phone."

I instantly reacted and hid behind a tree planted as decoration. When I peeped out, I saw a familiar honey blonde take the phone from the desk and placing it in her pink purse. She brushed through a few strands of her blonde hair before she walked the other direction.

Realizing the coast was clear, I stepped out and began to analyse what happened a few seconds ago.

So, that was Serena's phone. It made sense, considering the fact that the phone would likely have belonged to her especially due to the extravagant phonecase and cost. But, why would Ash be texting her to meet up later when he was raging at her a half hour ago? Could they have made up that quickly?

No, that was impossible.

I widened my eyes in disbelief.

Serena was cheating on Ash.

* * *

**Well I'd like to end the chapter here.**

**The competition will continue in the next chapter and we will see who advances to the second round. Now, describing dance is really tough for an author, especially where I have limited experience in dance itself, so hopefully I did a good job portraying their dance performances.**

**So with that said, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you guys next time.**

**Huh, what's that? Who's Serena cheating on Ash with? When will Ash and Dawn get together? You'll just have to continue reading. *evil laugh***


	16. Chapter 16: Undiscovered

**Hey guys! I have another update for you all. I just want to say thank you guys sooo much. I have finally reached one of my goals as an author on fanfiction: To get 100 reviews on one of MY fics. I never thought it'd be this story that'd be the first, honestly. So thank you so much!**

**I'd like to dedicate this chapter to KateAvenir for making the 100****th**** review, you rock and thanks for making my dream come true **

**And….on with the fic!**

* * *

I ended my performance with one arm in the air, and one on my hip. The crowd was silent for a while until I heard loud emitting screams from the audience, and I saw many people giving me a standing ovation, including my own mother. I smiled with satisfaction, as my heart warmed. This feeling I got from dancing was a thrilling one and could not match to any other.

"What a performance by Dawn Berlitz! She's got the audience going insane, almost like our famous dancing legend, Ash Ketchum. Could she be the one to take Ash's place?" Marian echoed through the mic, and I glanced at Ash backstage. In any other situation, I would have probably noticed a smirk placed on his lips, but his expression remained neutral, almost as if he never heard Marian's words at all.

"Judges, your thoughts, please."

"A really well executed performance there. I have to admit, it's one of the greatest performances of the night so far!"

"Absolutely fantastic. I rate it 10/10."

"Remarkable!"

I waved to the audience before I ran backstage to see Kenny smiling at me. "Wow, you really did wonders out there," he said.

I bit back a grin. "Really?"

"Yeah, I'm almost afraid I'm going to lose to you," he said cheekily.

I laughed. "Oh, shut up."

Then, May literally ran towards me and hugged me tightly, resulting in difficulties in breathing. "Oh my arceus, you were so amazing, Dawn! Especially that one move where you did backflip. _How _did you do that?!" May exclaimed. I laughed in response.

"I've been practicing a lot, May," I simply said, shrugging.

"Yeah, Berlitz," Drew commented from behind May, "gotta admit, I'm impressed. It's like you almost have no bones," he said, succeeding in making my cheeks blush a crimson red.

"Thanks, guess I have good flexibility," I said, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly.

"And now it's time for the last performance." Misty commented.

I turned my head towards Ash, who had remained silent all this while. He wasn't making eye contact with anyone, and I couldn't help but recall a few hours ago when he had defended me over Serena. I had never thought he would have the heart to do something like that, especially for me. I almost blushed.

_Do you like Ash?_

I widened my eyes. Why was I recalling May's words a couple of days earlier? It was such an unusual timing to be thinking about this. The idea of developing romantic feelings for someone as arrogant was preposterous and moronic.

But, why did he defend me?

_Is…is there something going on…between you and Ash? Because, I see the way he looks at you. Dawn, I don't know if it's true but I think he may like you._

Without warning, my heart started beating uncontrollably and my stomach was soaring with butterflies. I mentally groaned. Why was I feeling this way?

"Ash, it's your turn to perform," Gary said, breaking my thoughts away. It looked like his thoughts were broken as well, and his eyes wavered a bit before he nodded to his spiky-haired friend.

He started walking, and before he made his way onto the stage, he took one longing look at me. His gaze was intense and I almost got trapped within those chocolate brown eyes. He then broke eye contact and continued walking.

"What's up with Ash today?" Misty voiced out what, probably everyone was thinking at that moment.

"I have no idea," May said. "He's been acting weirdly ever since he fought with Serena a while back."

"Probably just relationship problems, he _is _sort of complicated," I heard Zoey say.

I silently agreed with Zoey. Ash was a mystery that nobody could solve, but strangely I wanted to uncover the truth. I found myself really curious about him lately, especially due to the fact that I found out that Serena was cheating on him. It was really a great wonder why he still remained in a relationship with her.

"And now, our last performance for tonight! You all know him, he's charming, he's bold, he's every girl's dream…put your hands together for the one and only dancin' legend: Ash Ketchum!"

* * *

Within the next half hour, the night was officially over. I found myself sighing a breath of relief. I was so relieved the judges were immensely impressed with my performance, but unfortunately they were equally impressed with Ash's performance as well. Defeating Ash was obviously not going to be that easy.

I grabbed my purse and turned around to meet face to face with Kenny. "Oh, hey, sorry I didn't see you there."

"It's fine," he quickly added, "so did you have fun tonight?"

I hummed. "Yeah. I did."

"Cool, so my ride is outside, let's go so we can get you home, it's getting pretty late," he offered, making me smile.

I opened my mouth to reply when suddenly, I saw my mom, effectively making my mouth close shut.

"You will do no such thing!" My mom exclaimed as she walked towards us. I widened my eyes. My mom was still unaware that Kenny was my boyfriend and I secretly hoped Kenny didn't blurt out anything that would give our relationship away.

"Good night, Ms Berlitz, I was just-"

"Just leaving this moment, because my daughter is coming with me," she narrowed her eyes at him and I could see Kenny hold back a cringe.

"…Okay. I guess I'll see you later, Dawn." He turned towards me.

_Please don't kiss me. Not in front of mom!_

Contradicting my thoughts, he leaned down and I quickly slapped my forehead in a sheepish attempt to get him to stop. "Mosquito. Got it! Thanks!" I exclaimed, noticing Kenny scrunch his eyebrows in confusion.

I quickly bid Kenny goodbye and walked outside with my mom. "Honey, please stay away from that boy. Something about him just smells bad news."

I could only muster up a small laugh at the irony to which she didn't notice, thankfully. Then it occurred to me that we didn't have a ride to go home. "Hey mom, how are we going home? We don't have a car, remember."

"I'm aware of that, Dawn," she said, "but Mrs. Ketchum offered to give us a ride home. She is our neighbour after all."

_Great. _The last thing I needed was being in the same confined space with Ash, again. The amount of times I had been in his Mercedes was unbelievable.

"Johanna, are you all ready to head home?" I heard Mrs Ketchum call from a bit further. I couldn't see any sign of Ash anywhere.

"Yes!" she yelled back and tugged on my arm. "Let's go, sweetie!" she said, and I reluctantly walked.

"Thank you so much for giving us a ride home, it's greatly appreciated," My mom began.

"What are neighbours for?" she replied back, a smile on her face. "Oh and congratulations, Dawn. You did so well tonight. I'm positive you're a real prodigy."

I was taken aback at the sudden compliment. "Oh…thanks so much, Mrs. Ketchum."

She laughed. "Just call me Delia, sweetie." And then she opened the back car door for us, to which mom quickly sat in, making me stop in process.

I looked at her in disbelief. "Mom, I was going to sit there."

"Hmm? Oh, sorry, you can sit in the seat up front with Ash," she said.

I sighed. Looks like avoiding Ash was going to be harder than I assumed it would be. I reluctantly opened the car door and sat next to Ash, who was in the driver's seat. Neither one of us made eye contact with each other, but if anything, I was struggling to keep my breathing level at bay, mostly because Ash's cologne was almost intoxicating.

The car started, and we were off. The ride was currently silent, except for occasional chatter between the two adults in the back seat of the car. However, it was growing a bit awkward for Ash and I. Suddenly, I received a text from Kenny.

_What was up earlier? – Kenny_

I almost face-palmed. I had completely forgotten about Kenny. I quickly typed a reply.

_I'm sorry __ Actually…mom doesn't know about u. She's against me having a bf and she'd kill me if she found out. – Dawn_

"Who are you texting?" Ash asked me, curiously.

He caught me off guard. I didn't realize that Ash had noticed. "You know…just…someone," I said quietly, remembering my mother in the back seat. Ash simply nodded at that and decided to focus his attention on driving.

The car came to a halt after a short while, and I sighed, relieved. I unfastened my seatbelt and practically jumped out of the car. Everyone else followed and I quickly ran towards the door.

Why was I avoiding Ash?

I don't even know myself.

"Hey, would you like to come inside for a while?" My mom offered.

Mom, I seriously hate you right now!

"Oh, thanks so much for the offer, but it's really late right now. But I will next time." Delia said.

Mrs. Ketchum, I seriously love you right now!

"Okay. Goodnight, Delia. Goodnight, Ash and thanks for driving us."

He smiled. "It was no problem," he said. With that, my mom and I were making our way inside when he suddenly called out to me, stopping me in my tracks. "Dawn."

I turned around. "Yes?"

"Can I talk to you for a few?"

_No! _"Sure…" I said. _Great going, you really outdid yourself._

"Go ahead, Dawn and you can come in when you're finished," my mom urged me, which was a bit strange. It was unbelievable to say that she was strictly against me having a boyfriend. The door closed behind me and Ash walked towards me, meeting me at eye level.

His lips parted for a second and he sighed. "I don't even know how to apologise," he said.

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"For Serena earlier. She had no right to say those stuff about you."

Ash was apologizing on behalf of Serena? "You don't need to apologize, Ash. I, actually, want to thank you for defending me…" I said. "It was really nice of you."

"You deserved it," he simply said, giving me a sympathetic look.

That's it. He needed to know. He didn't deserve someone as manipulative as Serena. "Ash…there's something you need to know. I recently found out today and I need to tell you."

His gaze never left mines. "What is it?"

"It's about Serena. She's…cheating on you."

The air was silent, and surprisingly, Ash's gaze never faltered, neither did he change expressions. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "I know."

I parted my lips in surprise. "What?"

His eyes wavered. "I know that Serena's cheating on me."

I was rendered speechless. This was absolutely unbelievable. "Ash! Why don't you-"

"Because I can't," he quickly added. "I know it sounds absurd, but I can't break up with her despite the fact that she's cheating on me," he said.

"Ash, you don't need to do this."

"You shouldn't get involved."

"Yes, I should. I care about you!"

He looked at me with that intense gaze once again. My breath had hitched at that moment, and I couldn't believe what I had just uttered. "Really?" he said, his voice suddenly low and husky.

"…Look, anybody would be curious as to your relationship with Serena." I attempted to change the topic lamely.

He cocked his head. "Yeah…though it seems you're almost…too curious," he said, taking a step forward. I instantly took a step back. Suddenly, his expression was amused and he was aware of the effect he was having on me, so he purposefully took a step forward again, invading my space.

I was having trouble breathing again. We were within kissing distance. "Dawn…I-"

My phone beeped. Ash backed away from me, and I sighed a breath of relief and got my breathing back to normal. I pulled out my phone. "Is that from Kenny?"

I looked at him. "Probably."

He remained quiet until he said, "So, why are you two together?"

"I thought you said we wouldn't question each other about this," I protested.

He placed his hands in his pockets. "Well, I was curious…you know, like you," he said, and I felt my cheeks instantly turn pink.

_Oh. I get it. Though you do plan on telling her one day, right? – Kenny_

While reading the text, I suddenly wondered why I even was in a relationship with him.

"I don't know." I admitted.

He slightly nodded. "I see."

"Will you tell me why you and Serena are together?" I offered.

"I don't know."

"Ash!" I grumbled.

"But, I can tell you this. I know who she's cheating on me with."

Now, this was interesting. "…Who?"

"Clemont. He's one of the science nerds in school. I don't suppose you've met him," he said.

"Never heard of him." I replied.

"I figured."

I sighed. "Look, Ash. You can get help, okay? If anything's wrong, please just tell me…or anyone else. We can reach out to you."

He nodded. "…Thanks. I'll keep that in mind," he said.

"…Guess I should head inside now…"I said.

"Yeah," he said, and before I realized what was happening, he walked closer towards me. My heart beat started accelerating once again and I nearly thought I was going to explode when his hand trailed from the palm of my hand to my shoulder. I was breathing heavily by now.

And my eyes widened in shock when he placed a soft, tender kiss on my cheek. It only lasted for a second, but I remained frozen, not knowing what to do or say.

He stood back and slightly smirked. "Goodnight," he said and started to walk the other way, leaving me in shock.

I opened the house door behind me and closed it, my back lying against it. I touched my cheek, the feeling of Ash's lips on my cheek never fading away. I blushed. Why was I acting this way? Why was I being affected by his charming self?

"_Dawn…I-"_

I closed my eyes and then opened them when I found the answer.

I was unable to believe it myself.

I like Ash.

* * *

**Short chapter there, but I bet it was nothing you guys expected. All of you guys reviewed saying that Serena was cheating on Ash with Kenny…which is what I wanted so….*evil smile***

**Also, Ash finally made a move. About time, huh? And Dawn finally accepts that she likes Ash, a pretty good chapter in my opinion. But it'll still be a while before they get together.**

**Also, fyi, if you guys have a twitter account, you guys can follow me on Twitter. It's the at symbol, DawnForever101.**

**See you guys next time!**


	17. Chapter 17: Not who I thought he was

**Hello everyone….I'm back once again with another update. Before you guys read on, I just have a few things to say.**

**Please don't push me for an update. Demanding updates every time that I do update is not going to motivate me to do so, it's just going to make me feel like a machine of some sort. I am a JUNIOR COLLEGE student going for my associate's degree in business management and accounts. I will be graduating next year in 2017 and I even have more state exams to take so I can continue my studies and study abroad for a while. A lot of my time goes into school, friends and family so please understand that fanfiction is not a priority. It is simply a good hobby of mines. Though I might be an author one day, who knows? Authors on fanfiction don't get paid any cent to post their works but yet they dedicate their time to bring out a flawless story, and that takes a lot of time and effort. I have several stories on my plate and most of you guys know that I'm also a co-author, so please do not just demand updates every single time. I'm trying my best to update when I can.**

**The only reason this happened to be an early update is because majority of this was typed before and I only finished this up today.**

**Sorry about that, but that note is for the readers who really need to see that. **

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

The following Monday morning, I woke up to my alarm clock ringing. Yawning, I stumbled on my way to the bathroom to take a shower. The hot water trickled down my body, waking up my nerves and made my body relax. I was devoured in various thoughts throughout the entire weekend. Mid semester reports were going to be revealed this Friday, the results of the first dance competition were also going to be revealed, and not to mention, I had spent a good amount of time thinking about Ash after I realized I have feelings for him.

Ash and I were complete opposites. Oil and water, and therefore, we never get along with each other. He was plain too cocky and arrogant almost all the time, and that infamous smirk never seemed to leave his lips. He is the most popular guy in school, is known as the dancing legend, is rich and is basically every girl's (and even guy's) dreams. While, I, on the other hand, am a normal teenage girl living with a single strict mother, and my passion is to show my talent by dancing and hopefully defeating him. We weren't compatible with each other and we have almost nothing in common.

Being in a relationship with him sounds tough.

On the flip side of things, opposites do attract. Despite the cliche in its statement, maybe our differences can be the very things that can add spice and passion to our relationship. While Kenny and I do manage to have a stable relationship, I have a feeling that our relationship is lacking that excitement entirely. We have almost everything in common, heck, even he lives with his single parent mother. I couldn't remember the last time we ever had a disagreement.

Ash and I could have that spark, that edge and that excitement that's missing.

But of course, it's not always that easy. There was still one problem.

Serena.

Once Serena is away from Ash's life, everything could be fine.

Hopefully.

* * *

I locked the door behind me and started to walk. I glanced at the other side of the street and to my surprise, Ash's black Mercedes was still there, which meant he was still at home. I instantly remembered the kiss on the cheek and blushed slightly. I remembered the way he defended me over Serena that night. There was a good possibility that Ash reciprocates my feelings but I can't be too sure of that. If only Serena wasn't in the way, things would be so much easier.

My body jumped when a pair of hands touched the back of my waist, "Hey there neighbor," Ash said, whispering in my ear. I didn't even realize when my heart started to beat. I turned around to face him.

"G-get your hands off me," I said, but instead I stumbled against my words.

Thankfully he did, and said, "Sorry." I looked up at him. Honestly, the moment he let go of my waist, I began to realize how much I missed its warmth. "So, ready for school? I could give you a ride."

I shook my head. "I'll be fine, thanks. Walking is pretty good exercise. I have to stay in shape," I said. At that exact moment, Ash's lips lifted upwards into a smirk.

"Trust me, Dawn, you're in shape. A _very _good shape," he commented, while eyeing me up and down.

Hopefully, he didn't notice my blush and I decided to ignore his statement. "Like I said, I'll be fine. Thanks, though," I said and started to walk the other way.

"Good performance the other night," he said, effectively making me stop in my tracks.

I smiled. "Thanks," I said without turning to looking at me. "You were...pretty good too." I admitted.

"I know I'm the best, you don't need to tell me that," he commented with that cocky attitude and I rolled my eyes. "But thanks," he said.

I simply shook my head in amusement as I proceeded to walk and left Ash behind, probably with a that stupid, yet attractive grin on his face.

* * *

"Okay, class. Today we will be talking about cell reproduction," My biology teacher, Ms. Anna, stated as she wrote the words 'Cell Reproduction' on the board. She turned to the students in expectation. "Can anyone give me a definition of cell reproduction?" She asked, looking around. Her eyes stopped at a certain individual.

"Mr. Hayden!" She called out to Drew who looked like he was about to drop asleep by now. "I'm so sorry for disrupting your nap there, but please be kind enough to answer my question," she said, crossing her arms.

Drew grew tense for a while, it was evident he hadn't any clue what the question was. Therefore he said, "False," resulting in a couple of chuckles and giggles from most of my classmates. Ms. Anna shook her head in disapproval and sighed.

"Would anyone answer my question?"

"I did answer your question, I practically deserve a few bonus points," Drew commented.

"Mr. Hayden, you did not answer my question, you didn't even know the question in the first place. Why? Because you're busy sleeping in my class. Be grateful that I'm not sending you out of my class," she said, glaring at him. Drew only muttered a few choice words at her.

"Well, since no one is willing to answer my question, then we have a pop quiz." I groaned at that, looking at Zoey and Misty beside me. "Yes, and it will be graded. Stop complaining and take out a sheet of paper." She demanded. I sighed irritably.

No doubt, I was going to fail this.

* * *

Spanish was my last class before lunch break. I walked out of class and almost bumped into May. "Hey, let's go to the cafeteria, I'm really hungry, I skipped breakfast today," she said, grabbing my hand.

I rolled my eyes. "May, you're always hungry." It was true. She did have a good appetite and perhaps it was because of that she developed some good curves that made boys almost swoon over her, something Drew grew jealous about.

"But it's true." She winked, and I laughed before we sat down on the cafeteria tables. "Hey, did you have biology today?"

"Yeah, my teacher gave me a pop quiz," I said, irritatingly at the memory.

"That sucks, I wish you were in bio with me. We could have been lab partners too," she said.

"Yeah, would've been so much better," I said, crossing my arms.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Serena walk in the cafeteria, and she was looking around for somebody. When she caught eyes with a table in the corner of the cafeteria, she walked over and I noticed that it was Ash sitting there. She seemed to be talking to him, but I could see him mutter a few choice words in her direction. She put her hands on her hips and was looking at him intensely, something which he attempted to ignore. She then scoffed and flipped her hair, walking in the midst of the cafeteria.

"Attention, attention everyone!" She clapped her hands for emphasis. "I have an announcement to make!" She yelled and eventually all the mumbling and chattering ceased.

"Wonder what this is about," I whispered.

"I might have a slight idea," May said vaguely.

Serena stood up on one of the cafeteria tables. She cleared her throat. "Well, as you all know, my boyfriend, Ash Ketchum's birthday is this Saturday. And every year, he has the best birthday parties of the year. So, this year, we are celebrating Ash's birthday at his place this Saturday," she said, and everyone started to mumble in excitement. "And, everyone is invited! The theme for this year is: glow in the dark. Wear something that goes along with that theme, because this party is no doubt going to be _hot_," she said, snapping a finger, resulting in a few cheers and whistles. "Oh and we'll only be accepting people who bring gifts for Ash. So if you don't have any gift, don't bother showing up. We don't need wastes of space crowding up Ash's place. Okay, thank you!" she said, before stepping off of the table.

So, it was Ash's birthday this Saturday. I wonder what Ash would prefer as a gift.

"This happens every year. Serena makes this big announcement about his birthday party," May said, "last year, it happened in a five-star restaurant," she continued and I gasped.

"No way!" I exclaimed, and she only nodded.

"Yeah, Ash's parties are to die for! If you don't go, you're automatically labeled as a loser," she said.

"I wonder what I should get him..." I said, voicing out my thoughts. "What'd you get him last year?"

"A watch! But, I mean, I bet he gets similar gifts every year. I don't even know what gift to get him this year," she sighed exasperatingly. "It's going to be a bit difficult this year."

I sighed. "Yeah." What was I supposed to get the guy? Especially now that I realized that I have feelings for him? What would he like?

This was not going to be easy.

* * *

"Okay, class, now for today's creative writing class, we are going to be hearing a few poems from the students. So, Taylor, do you want to go first?" Mr. Thomas asked to which Taylor nodded. Taylor and I held a few conversations over time, and he was a pretty cool guy to talk to. He walked in front of the class, a paper in his hand. He ran his hand over his blonde hair a few times before he cleared his throat. "This poem is called: Falling in Love. I'm dedicating this to my girlfriend, Stacey," he said, before winking at Stacey, as she blushed in response.

"You hear of true love," he started, "in movies and books. But not based on popularity or looks."

This caught my attention, and everyone seemed to be mesmerized at what he was saying. "I've searched every corner, deep in my mind. But this one little thing I could not find."

Instantly, I recalled my relationship with Kenny. As disappointing as it sounds, I was unable to find the emotion of love in our relationship. I just did not reciprocate feelings for him as much as he did to me. It was lacking a big factor that could have the potential to strain our relationship.

"For it was not in my head, but deep in my heart. Looking for this completely tore me apart. Then one day I found it. This thing called love. It's something wonderful sent from above," he continued. My heart warmed and I started to smile.

"We stared at each other, as our faces turned red," he said, looking at Stacey. "Yet nothing was spoken, nothing was said. No words were needed, because our hearts said it all. We'd be together forever, for in love we did fall," he finished off and took a bow, resulting in a round of applause.

For some reason, that poem spoke to me. It made me realize that Kenny and I were never meant to be. I was never in love with Kenny, heck, I doubt I had any sort of romantic feelings geared towards him.

I knew what I had to do.

I had to break up with him.

* * *

After classes ended, I texted Kenny to meet me outside of school. He responded back, saying he was going to be there within ten minutes. I mentally prepared myself for what was to come. Breaking up with someone while trying not to hurt their feelings was a bit complicated. I was aware that he had strong feelings for me, but I also knew that I couldn't be committed to this relationship any longer. It was important to let him know how I feel.

Because it takes two to tango.

"Hey," he said. Kenny stood in front of me and I looked up at him. "Everything okay?"

"There's something I want to tell you and it's really important. I need to get this off my chest." I spoke, my voice not sounding confident.

"Before you do that...are you going to Ash's party on Saturday?" he quickly asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, and I still have to decide what to get him for a gift. Anyways, I wanted to say that-"

"I don't want you to go," he interrupted me, resulting in me widening my eyes in shock. Was Kenny actually forbidding me to go?

"Excuse me? Did I hear that right?"

"Look, I know that Ash likes you. If you go to that party, there's no telling what could happen. He may try to make a move on you," he explained. To be honest, I stood there, my jaw slowly dropping.

"You don't trust me?" I asked in disbelief.

"Of course, I trust you," he said, grabbing my hand and giving it a squeeze. "I just don't trust Ash. So, I just want you to stay away from him." He continued. I didn't even realize when exactly I got frustrated, but I pulled my hand back in a jerk. He looked at me in a bit of shock.

"Kenny, it's my choice. You have no right to be telling me that. I can go where I want, whenever I want."

It was silent for a while until he said, "You're actually picking Ash over me? The guy that probably only cares about is himself?" He commented in disbelief.

I shook my head in response. "This isn't about picking someone, Kenny. This is about you forbidding me to go to that party."

"I'm doing it for your own benefit. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Kenny, for Arceus's sake, if Ash wanted to make a move on me, he would've done it a long while back! We're neighbors and we share some classes together. And I don't know if he likes me or not, but that doesn't mean you have the authority of telling me what to do." I retorted. Kenny seemed genuinely surprised. This was the first argument we were having.

"So you're not going to listen to me?" I refused to answer. "I'm not being authoritative, I'm just giving you advice. I really like you and I don't want Ash to take you away from me, because you're mine," he said, before stepping closer and encircling his arms around my waist. I released his arms from my waist and glared at him in anger.

"That wasn't advice. You were practically forbidding me to go to his party. I'm sorry, Kenny but whether I go or not is my choice. And forgive me, but like I said before, you have no right on telling me what to do."

It seemed like Kenny's decision didn't falter and suddenly his eyes darkened. "Fine, you go to that party, and I'll tell your mom that we're together and dating." Now I was truly taken aback. I can't believe Kenny was resorting to his.

"Are you...threatening me?" I asked in disbelief. I never would have imagined that he would have the audacity to do this.

"Consider it what you want, but you're not going," he said.

My fingers curled into a fist and if anything, I was practically steaming. "That's it! I can't take this anymore! I can't be in a relationship with someone who thinks they have control over me!" I yelled. "Especially with a guy that I don't even have feelings for!" I spat out in anger, then instantly covered my mouth with the palm of my hand. Kenny cocked his head.

"...What?"

I didn't know what to say. "I-"

"So you never liked me." He stated. I parted my lips to intervene but he spoke before I could. "So I was nothing to you," he said, his voice full of hurt.

"No! No, Kenny, it's-it's not like that. I was trying to tell you earlier but-"

"No, it's fine, I mean, I get it. I was played. I was just a simple 'testing the water' you know, like when you before you go swimming, you touch your toe in the water to see if it's not too cold. I never meant anything to you, did I?"

"That's not true," I protested. "I was just confused. I've never been in a relationship before and when you asked me out, I decided to give you a chance. I thought I liked you because you were the perfect guy, but the truth is-"

"The truth is," he interrupted yet again, "that you played with my feelings and took advantage of me," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. He ran his fingers through his brown hair and continued. "Do you know how much you're hurting me right now?!"

"Do you know how much you're hurting me?! Boyfriends are supposed to be understanding, loving and respectful. But here you are, threatening me and not even listening to a word I'm saying!" I retorted.

"At least I didn't take advantage of you and fucking play you!" He started to yell, overpowering my voice. I flinched a bit, I had never heard Kenny utter those words before. It was as if a totally different version of him was standing before me. "Listen to me and you listen good," he said, gripping my hand tightly. "You are going to stay away from Ash, you are going to listen to what I say, because you are mine. Got that?" He said, his grip on my hand getting tighter and tighter; it was starting to hurt and I withheld a scream.

"You're-you're hurting me, Kenny, let go!" I yelled.

"Shut up!" He spat. "I'm going to twist your arm if you don't answer," he threatened. Tears started to flow out of my eyes. To say I was shocked was an absolute understatement. Kenny was not the guy whom I thought he was. "Answer me!"

I gulped. "O-okay...I-I'll listen to what you say," I said, my voice breaking due to the heavy amount of crying. His grip on my arm loosened.

"Good," he said, smiling as if nothing happened. "We're going out Saturday night. Wear something pretty," he said, "and there's no reason to tell anybody about this." he said, but I had a good feeling that was a threat. "Right?"

I nodded. "No reason at all," I said.

"Good. I still have a class next. What about you?" I couldn't believe that he pretended everything was normal. I was still in a great amount of shock.

"I..I think I'm going home," I decided.

"Want me to drop you?"

"Please don't," I quickly said and he cocked his eyebrow. "I mean, you don't have to do that for me. I can walk home," I said.

"Okay. See you later," he said, giving me a peck on the cheek before walking back to the school grounds. I immediately wiped it off, feeling disgust. This kiss was nothing but utter disgust, and suddenly I grew weak. My knees started to shake uncontrollably as I broke down, crying into the palms of my hands. I felt so betrayed, so worthless and so confused. My cries grew louder and louder and I couldn't stop.

I didn't even realize when a pair of arms encircled around me, bringing me to the person's chest. I continued sobbing against the person'c chest, disregarding the fact that I was probably wetting the fabric. It was when I realized that it was Ash consoling me when I pulled back. "No...I-I'm sorry, I c-can't. J-just stay away from me," I said, stepping back, my face filled with fallen tears.

He was no doubt, confused to which I couldn't blame him for. "What happened to you? Why are you crying? Please tell me, is everything okay?!" He continued asking me several questions, worry clearly indicated in his voice. When I didn't respond, he cupped my cheeks. "Please say something," he urged.

"I'm sorry...I can't...just g-go away. Please just leave."

"I can't leave you here like this," he said.

I shook my head. "Please." I begged. "Just go."

He didn't heed to my words. "Just go!" I yelled.

Still confused and worried, he removed his hands from my face. He hesitated. "I'll be fine, please, I can't...please get out of here," I said. I heard him sigh before he took a longing look at me and after a while, he walked the other way, leaving me alone.

I closed my eyes. _I'm so sorry, Ash._

* * *

**Well, that's the end of the chapter. I know, it was kind of sad at the end. Who expected Kenny to turn out to be like that towards Dawn? **

**Anyways, as always, thank you guys for reading. Your reviews are appreciated as well. Lemme know your thoughts.**

**And with that, I will see you guys next time.**


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